W E C A N H E L P - Florida Realtors

Transcription

2007
™
W E
C A N
H E L P
Online Leads
Better
Over **1 million Unique Users to LivingChoices.com/RealEstateBook.com and 15 other strategic online partner sites
Business
Local Magazine Distribution
We print *9.3 Million Magazines Monthly in 450+ markets
(More than TIME and Newsweek’s Per Issue Circulation combined)
Better
Technology
Out of Market Book Requests
Relocating buyers order magazines from the 800#
(printed on over *9.3 million magazines monthly)
Relocation Leads
Approximately 30,000 magazines mailed to relocating employees monthly
Home Valuation Leads
*BPA Audited Circulation June 2006
**Media Metrix June 2006
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You...
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To receive high-quality leads, contact Todd Walker
at (800) 643-1174 or [email protected]
Supplement to Florida Realtor magazine
®
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Fort Myers
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2601 10th Avenue North, #206
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18167 US Highway 19 North, #180
Clearwater, FL 33764
(727) 533-0514
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7556 SW 117th Avenue
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37
18
The Real Estate
Guide07
™
You...
Only
Better
Business, technology and
marketing solutions ready
to go for the real estate
professional.
Better Technology
6
Creative Web Gems
(Try them today!)
Hot new ways to market using the Web.
Here are some great options!
by Bridget McCrea
14
It’s Web-ariffic!
Learn from this year’s Web site contest
winners.
by Richard Westlund
18
Can’t-Live-Without-It Tech Gadgets
(Heard here first!)
Techno overload? Sales associates share
their must-haves. by Dan Rafter
Better Marketing
Better Business
You…Only Funnier
26
40
60
10 Ways to Sell a
Home Fast (And we
mean speedy!)
You’ve heard it a million
times—the market is
changing. What are you
doing to sell your listings fast?
by Bridget McCrea
8 Broker Challenges
(Including the solutions
you’re craving!)
Hiring quality sales
associates, maintaining
profitability—typical
challenges when you own or
manage a brokerage. Here
are common issues and
thoughtful solutions.
by G.M. Filisko
34
46
6 Outside-the-Box
Promo Ideas
(Some are wacky but
they work!)
In a tight buyers’ market,
your name can easily blur
gray among an endless list
of sales associates. Find out
how these Realtors® pop
and sparkle.
by Heidi Russell Rafferty
Laugh-Out-Loud Tales
from the Field
Showings can be
unpredictable and
entertaining, as these sales
associates reveal.
Help Wanted: 10 Types of
Personal Assistants
Just aren’t enough hours in
the day? Try these tested
strategies for hiring help.
by Bridget McCrea
Photo by doug scaletta
The Real Estate Solutions Guide 2007
Get a Sharper Edge
To be you, only better, we’ve got hot tips and
tricks in our 2007 Real Estate Solutions Guide.
Navigating the ever-changing real estate profession requires a flexible sales
associate and an adaptable marketing program. From off-the-wall promotions
to how to hire personal assistants, we offer scores of solutions in three main
sections—Better Technology, Better Marketing and Better Business—and then
create your go-to list of industry-leading suppliers. See our exclusive Real Estate
Pro’s Source (page 48).
Here are shortcuts to supercharge your business.
Blogs 8
Branding 27, 28
Broker Profitability 41
Brokers, offer
services that prove your
sales associates are worth
what they charge.
Community Web sites 9
Cost-saving Tips 43
Digital Cameras 22, 24
GPS (global positioning systems) 24
Laptops 18, 21
Lead Capture Systems 45
Listing Promotions 28
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) 30
Online Classifieds 9, 12, 36
Open Houses 32
Personal Assistants 46
Personal Digital
Assistants 20
Personal Marketing
35, 37, 38, 39, 42
With a digital
camera and
presentation software
set yourself apart.
Find out how.
Virtual Tours 27
Web sites 9, 14, 15
Wireless Technology 18, 20, 21
Supplement to Florida Realtor® magazine
Publisher Jeffrey M. Zipper
EDITORIAL
Florida Realtor Magazine Editor in Chief Doug Damerst
Real Estate Solutions Guide Editor in Chief Tracey C. Velt
Associate Editor Leslie C. Stone
DESIGN
Creative Director Jim Angel
Art Director Tracey M. Flanagan
Senior Designer Sean Kiem
Production Specialist Tracy Bardwell
ADVERTISING
Associate Publisher-Advertising Joseph A. Bono
Advertising/Marketing Assistant Gina Wittenhagen
Communications Committee Chairperson
Lydia Pisano
2006 FAR OFFICERS
President: Michael A. Dooley, 9148 S.E. Bridge Rd., Hobe Sound,
FL 33455, (772) 546-5250; [email protected]; Pres-Elect:
Nancy J. Riley, 3401 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33704, (727)
560-2000; [email protected]; Treasurer: Maggie Morris,
15690 Briarcliff Lane, Fort Myers, FL 33912, (239) 229-7069;
[email protected]; Secretary: Bob S. Hudgens, 111 Beal
Parkway S.E., Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, (850) 244-2100;
[email protected]
2006 DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENTS
District 1: G. Matthew Wilson, (800) 226-3130; District 2:
Shawn Goepfert, (386) 304-3033; District 3: Nancy Cardone,
(561) 743-2331; District 4: Israel V. Ameijeiras, (954) 885-4990;
District 5: Betty Jean Christensen, (239) 992-3392; District 6:
Bob Memoli, (727) 372-6611; District 7: John T. Barnes, (352)
628-2410; District 8: Penny Herman, (850) 980-0951; District
9: Benjamin F. Anderson, (850) 654-5300; District 10: Vera
Tungate, (863) 688-2822; District 11: Larry Rowe, (954) 7636764; District 12: Lydia Pisano, (407) 579-0760; District 13:
Darla Furst, (941) 966-8000
Florida Realtor (ISSN 0199-5839) (USPS 522-170) is published
monthly except August by the Florida Association of Realtors.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Florida Realtor, Attn.
Membership, PO Box 725025, Orlando, FL 32872-5025. Periodicals postage paid at Orlando and additional mailing offices.
Improve your
position in a Google search
by entering your listings free into
Google Base. Check it out.
A fancy bus, a soccer
dad and band-aids are
madcap ways sales
associates are getting
their names out.
Podcasting 10
Property Marketing 29, 30, 36
Real Estate Teams 48
Sales Associate Retention 44
Staging 32
Transaction Management Systems 43, 59
Virtual Assistants 50, 51
Every Minute, A Star is Born.
Overloaded at work?
Consider hiring a virtual
assistant on a per-project
basis. You can focus
on selling.
Annual dues of every Realtor member of the Florida Association
of Realtors include $3.50, for a one-year subscription to Florida
Realtor. Additional member subscriptions, $3.50. Subscription
rate to others, $19.95 annually.
Opinions expressed in signed feature articles are those of
the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the
Florida Association of Realtors. Advertising of property or products
does not imply endorsement.
Copyright© 2006 by the Florida Association of Realtors. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written
permission is prohibited.
To communicate via a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD), call Florida Relay Service, (800) 955-8771
(long-distance phone charges apply).
EDITORIAL
Doug Damerst
(407) 438-1400 ext. 2322
[email protected]
ADVERTISING
Joseph A. Bono
(407) 438-1400 ext. 2327
[email protected]
ADDRESS
7025 Augusta National Drive
Orlando, FL 32822
floridarealtormagazine.com
The Business Magazine of Florida Real Estate
Chart your path with RE/MAX today.
For a confidential interview: www.remax-florida.com,
or call 407-829-7303
®
Equal opportunity employer. Each office is
independently owned and operated.
© 2006 RE/MAX of Florida, Inc.
5
real estate solutions
Better
by Bridget McCrea
Innovative Ways to
Use the Web
(Try them today!)
Looking for hot new ways to
market using the Web? Here are
some great options!
The Internet can be a complicated place for
sales associates who know the majority of their
customers go there first for homebuying
information, but who don’t always know how
to best harness those buyers. To help you
weave through the maze, we’ve come up with
five new ways to use the Web in your own
business. Here they are:
illustrations by andy potts/agoodson.com
Better
“Once an RSS feed has been implemented
into your Web site, it requires no further work
on your part,” says technology trainer Randy
Eagar. “The [news] feed simply comes in
and changes daily or weekly.”
Blogs are simple to set up, cost next to nothing to
maintain and can be updated with just a few paragraphs
of text on a regular basis.
1
Blogs
A Web site where regular
entries are made in a journalor diary-like format, a Weblog (or
simply, “blog”) offers commentary
or news on a particular subject, such
as food, politics, real estate or local
news. Blogs combine text, images and
links to other blogs, Web sites and additional content related to a specific
topic. Some also include photos,
videos and audio features. According to Randy Eagar, president of Salt
Lake City–based Computer Camp
(computercamp.net), cybersurfers
use search engines like Blogdigger.
com, Feedster.com and Technorati.
com to search for blog content, with
sites like Google Trends (google.
com/trends) allowing for tracking
and comparison of the popularity of
search terms over time.
Blogs are simple to set up (using a
service like Blogger.com, for example),
cost next to nothing to maintain and
are updated with just a few paragraphs of text on a regular basis (ideally four to five times a week).
Real estate professionals can place
blogs on their own Web sites, says
Eagar, complete with home photos and
listing links. They can also use blogs
to increase Web site rankings in the
search engines, due to their contentrich nature.
“A blog offers your own commentary on issues of the day or even of
a ‘how-to’ nature, and are invaluable for getting input from clients,
prospects and viewers in general,”
says Eagar. “Once prospects find an
interesting blog site, they’re much
more likely to bookmark you to see
ongoing discussions.”
international to the local neighborhood,” says Eagar. “Agents can create
their own local community Web site
for the use of their neighborhood farm
area, for example, and can place information to raise awareness of their
business services.”
Consumers can then use the sites
to rate, review, recommend and reach
the real estate professional. “Local
community sites are a great place for
the real estate community to spend
a little bit of time and listen to what
folks are talking about,” says Eagar.
2
3
Community Sites
Sponsored by sales associates,
community sites are online venues that contain information about
specific neighborhoods and communities. On a global level, MySpace.
com and Craigslist.org stand as the
two most popular community sites
online today.
Craigslist is a classified service
where sales associates can promote
their listings and services, while
MySpace.com allows users to post
almost anything they wish about
themselves as well as comments about
other topics and reviews of interest.
Drilling down to the community
level, Eagar says community sites
can be particularly useful for sales
associates looking to do target marketing. On ConnectingNeighbors.
com, for example, consumers can
find information on 10,000 neighborhood Web sites that cover topics like
choosing a neighborhood, or buying
or selling a home.
“Community sites are very effective at reaching communities from the
RSS Feeds
RSS is a family of XML-based
Web feeds that are used for Web
syndication. Used by Web sites, blogs
and podcasts, RSS stands for “Really
Simple Syndication” and provides
Web content (or summaries of Web
content) along with links to the full
versions of the content. “Think of
[using] an RSS feed as [being similar
to a newspaper’s use of] UPI (United
Press International) or API (Associated Press International),” says Eagar.
“These feeds come to them direct, and
the paper has a decision as to whether
to use the information or not.”
But where a newspaper pays for
these feeds, Eagar says, RSS feeds are
almost always free. Real estate professionals use a program known as a feed
reader or aggregator to check a list of
feeds on behalf of a user (in this case,
the home buyer or seller) and display
any updated articles that it comes
across online. There’s no software to
install, and the feeds are available on
any computer that has Internet access.
“Once an RSS feed has been imple-
Better
mented into your Web site, it requires
no further work on your part,” says
Eagar. “The feed simply comes in and
changes daily or weekly.”
4
Podcasting
A method of distributing
multimedia files, such as audio
programs or music videos, over the
Internet, podcasting stands as a
way to promote yourself as a professional. Sharon Simms, a broker-associate with RE/MAX Metro in St.
Petersburg, became a podcaster a few
months ago, and uses a service offered by RealPro. She invests about
$50 a month in the podcast, which
is updated several times a week. On
it, she discusses the housing market,
statistics, insurance and other topics of relevance to home buyers and
sellers.
According to Eagar, a podcast
typically features one type of “show,”
with new episodes released either sporadically or at planned intervals, such
as daily or weekly. In addition, there
are podcast networks that feature
multiple programs on the same feed.
Podcasts can also be used for more
sophisticated users who want to go
beyond the technologies of blogs or
Broker Sharon Simms uses podcasts to
discuss the housing market, statistics,
insurance and other topics of relevance to
home buyers and sellers.
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10
EXPERIENCE
Better
RSS feeds. “For example, multimedia
presentations of agents, their listings,
communities and other personalized
presentations can be given more effectively,” says Eagar. “For the viewer,
it’s just a simple download.”
5
Google Base
Google Base is a free new product that allows users to submit
content that Google hosts and then
makes searchable to the rest of the
world. An online database, Google
Base (http://base.google.com) allows
users to add just about any type of
content, with a major component of
the service centered around a classified ads service, says Eagar, “However, it has also been used for such
items as protein structures, current
events, real estate, recipes and more.”
Supported by advertisers, Google
Base matches ads to the user search
An online database, Google Base
allows users to add just about
any type of content, with a major
component of the service centered
around a classified ads service.
(much as the main Google site
does), with advertisers purchasing a
Google ad and paying online when a
user clicks on it. Real estate professionals can submit information
about all types of online and offline
content to Google Base, using either
a standard Web form or—if there
are more than 10 items to submit—a
bulk upload option.
Google Base allows users to add
attributes describing their content,
so that searchers can easily find it.
The more popular individual attributes become, the more often Google
Base will suggest them when others
post the same items. Similarly, items
that become more popular will show
up as suggested item types in the
“choose an existing item type” dropdown menu.
Bridget McCrea is a Clearwaterbased freelance writer.
CULTURE SHOCK!
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You may be shocked by the level of attention
we provide to our associates.
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Mentoring - Profit Sharing
Call today and learn why Keller Williams Realty is the 4th
largest real estate company in the nation and still growing.
Are you ready to experience Keller Williams?
®
Where all agents are business partners.
Regional Director: Nikki Ubaldini • 727-216-8232 • www.kwopportunity.com
12
Better
Web-ariffic!
by richard westlund
No.1:
“This is truly an outstanding Web
site,” says Dan Gooder Richard, one
of the national experts who judged
the Florida contest. “The content
[on www.orlandohomeowner.com]
is so substantial and exhaustive, it is
almost overwhelming.”
Ken Thompson and Alisha Weisser,
associates with Keller Williams Classic Realty, Orlando, redesigned the
site after teaming up in early 2005.
While the site is based on a template by WebAgentSolutions, Thompson says there are almost no limits
on the customization of design and
images.
“We want to acquaint people with
the market, especially buyers from
outside the area,” says Weisser. “We
include new construction as well,
giving visitors a good idea of the price
ranges in different areas.”
Judge Randy Eagar praises the site’s
layout for presenting so much content
“in an organized manner.” Judges Ira
Serkes and Richard agree that the
site’s numerous lead-generation links
are vital to its success. Referring to
the extensive list of buyer and seller
14
10 Company
Web Sites
OrlandoHomeowner.com:
Substantial and Effective
lead-capture
special reports, Richard says, “I
stopped countWeisser and Thompson
ing when I got
to 40.”
Weisser says the site has been
extremely effective in generating
online leads, which account for a high
percentage of the team’s business.
Thompson and Weisser also use a
“pay-per-click” marketing strategy to
ensure their site appears as a sponsored link when prospects type in
certain keywords using major search
engines like Google and Yahoo.
Weisser adds that she and Thompson also follow up personally. “It’s
more time consuming than using an
automated system, but we get a good
response that way,” she says. “Most
people today start their search on the
Internet, and you want to capture
their interest in an early stage. But
you have to be patient, because it may
take six months or more to develop a
relationship that leads to the sale.”
No.1:
Top 10 Sales Associate
Web Sites
1. www.OrlandoHomeowner.com
Ken Thompson and Alisha Weisser, Keller
Williams Classic Realty, Orlando
2. www.MySanibelRealEstate.com
Eric Pfeifer, VIP Realty Group Inc., Sanibel
3. www.OrlandoHomesandEstates.com
Patty Willis, Stirling | Sotheby’s International
Realty, Orlando
4. www.SarasotaHomes4Sale.com
Debra Pitell, Michael Saunders & Co.,
Sarasota
5. www.KassanRealty.com
Elizabeth Kassan, RE/MAX Direct,
West Palm Beach
6. www.GingersDestinConnection.com
Ginger Lundstrom, Platinum Realty, Destin
7. www.GregEllingson.com
Greg Ellingson, Golden Realty, Rockledge 8. www.DeborahBeacham.com
Deborah Beacham, Coldwell Banker
Residential, Sarasota
9. www.FineHomesofSarasota.com
Robin DiSabatino, Michael Saunders & Co.,
Sarasota
10. www.Powerhouse-Team.com
Jody Rydell and Caroline Dowling,
Keller Williams Realty, Miami
Learn from the winners of the
2006 Florida Realtor® Magazine/
Florida Real Estate Headlines
Web Site Contest.
Winning
illustration/photo credit
10 Associate
Super Sales
Meet the Judges
Dan Gooder Richard is founder of the
Gooder Group and is an authority in
real estate marketing and lead management. www.goodergroup.com
Ira Serkes is a Realtor® and broker with
RE/MAX Real Estate in Berkeley, Calif. He
is an instructor who teaches other sales
associates how to use computers to better
serve clients. www.berkeleyhomes.com
Web Sites
BocaExecutiveRealty.com
Site Designed to Sell
Zev Freidus says there’s no substitute for a clear vision when it comes
to building a successful company Web
site. “It’s essential to get the design,
the contents and the functionality just
right,” says Freidus, broker-owner of
Boca Executive Realty in Boca Raton.
Freidus launched his site in August 2005 in conjunction with the
company’s opening. “I wanted a site
that looks different to the consumer,”
he says.”
Freidus says he used a graphic
designer, but developed the navigation
approach and site functions himself,
drawing on his background as a former product marketing manager for
General Electric.
One of the keys to the company’s
success, he says, was signing an agreement to have multiple listing service
(MLS) data sent directly to the site
rather than through an IDX (Internet
Data Exchange) provider. “That lets
us maintain our own database and
present the data in a format customized for our visitors,” he says.
Judge Randy Eagar praises the site’s
focus on local residential communities, which includes satellite maps
Randy Eagar, CRS, is founder of Computer
Camp, a computer training center in
Salt Lake City and is a senior instructor for
the Residential Sales Council.
www.computercamp.net
that show all
listings and
streets from
a bird’s-eye
view.
Judges Dan
Gooder RichFreidus
ard and Ira Serkes say the site’s 10-button navigation
makes it simple for visitors to find
information and conduct searches.
“The home page puts the consumer
first, and is almost entirely dedicated
to property searches by type, then by
area,” says Richard.
For the first few months, Freidus
provided site visitors with free, open
access to property searches. “We had
tons of hits, but very few calls,” he
says. “Then we decided to implement
a registration program, and that’s really worked well for us.”
“We send weekly e-mails and encourage them to come back and look
for more properties.”
Freidus says regular follow-up is
essential because people searching
for property on the Internet may not
remember the sites they have visited.
“They don’t want to start over from
Top 10 Company Web sites
1. www.BocaExecutiveRealty.com
Boca Executive Realty, Boca Raton
2. www.JohnRWood.com
John R. Wood Realtors®, Naples
3. www.MarcoRealtySource.com
RE/MAX Results Realty, Marco Island
4. www.DunawayMckenzie.com
Dunaway McKenzie Realtors®, Key West
5. www.KeysResortRealty.com
Resort Realty & Appraisals, Key West
6. www.RealEstateInvestments
bonita.com
Babon Group Real Estate Co., Bonita Springs
7. www.AventuraForSale.com
AventuraForSale.com Real Estate Co.,
Aventura
8. www.GraytonCoastProperties.com
Grayton Coast Properties, Grayton Beach
9. www.BlueOneRealty.com
Blue One Realty, Doral
10. www.1stOrlandoRealEstate.com
Century 21 Real Estate Professionals,
Orlando
scratch—and you don’t want them to
have to Google your site again,” he
says. “So, we use e-mail to bring them
back to our site.”
15
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Better
Author
by Dan Rafter
Byline
adgets
You Can’t
Live Without
Techno overload? Sales associates
share their must-haves.
18
Portable Power Tracy Wisneski couldn’t do business without her laptop computer or
her smartphone. The sales associate
with Tampa-based Keller Williams
Tampa Properties relies on her mobile
technology to create and display hightech listing presentations to potential
clients. With just a few clicks, she can
use it to search the Multiple Listing
Service (MLS) while she’s on the road.
And, she can send her customers
intriguing listings as soon as she discovers them, no matter how far she is
from her office and desktop computer.
Wisneski has her listing presentation loaded onto her laptop, and she
brings the laptop to all her prospective client meetings. Her PowerPoint
illustration/photo credit
What technology do successful
sales associates recommend? We
spoke with five sales associates who
told us that BlackBerrys, smartphones, laptop computers, Tablet
PCs, digital cameras, presentation
software and big computer power are
the tech tools that you should have
at your disposal. What did we find?
We learned that the average associate
uses technology judiciously. What
you read here may not be innovative
or earth shattering, but it can help
you decide what technology to embrace and what to ditch. Here’s a look
at these must-have tools:
19
Better
Tracy Wisneski
Keller Williams
Tampa
Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs)
1. Axim X51, Dell—from $308,
(800) 999-3355;
www.dell.com.
2. iPAQ Pocket PC, HewlettPackard—from $299.99,
(800) 888-0262;
www.hp.com.
3. Tungsten E2, Palm—from
$199, (800) 881-7256;
www.palm.com/us
20
Doreen Clark
Amerivest Realty
Naples
equivalent AMD K3) and have an
“active” display, you can operate as a
truly mobile professional.”
The BlackBerry
You’ll never catch Cyndi Andrews
without her BlackBerry.
The sales associate with the Davenport office of Florida Real Moves
Realty brings the device with her ev-
4. T/X, Palm—from $299,
(800) 881-7256;
www.palm.com/us
www.motorola.com/us
3. Treo 700w, Palm, Inc.—
from $399, (800) 881-7256;
http://www.palm.com/us
Smartphones
(PDA with phones)
Tablet PCs
1. BlackBerry 7130c,
Research In Motion Limited—$499.99, (519) 888-7465;
www.blackberry.com
2. Moto Q, Motorola—from
$199.99, (866) 289-6686;
1. Compaq tc4200, HewlettPackard—from $1,499,
(888) 999-4747;
www.hp.com
2. Gateway Convertible
Notebook, Gateway—from
erywhere. The BlackBerry
allows her to pull up listings
from the MLS, send and receive
e-mail messages, check appointments and, of course, make phone
calls, all without being tied to any
wires or land lines. “It’s like having a little computer
in my car,” Andrews says. “
[Central Florida] is a huge geo$1,400, (888) 888-2075;
www.gateway.com
3. LE1600, Motion Computing
Inc.— from $1,999,
(866) 682-2538;
www.motioncomputing.com
4. ThinkPad X Series,
Lenovo—from $1,499,
(866) 968-4465;
www.lenovo.com/us
Laptop Computers
1. Inspiron E1705, Dell—
from $1,199, (800) 449-3355;
www.dell.com
2. MacBook Pro, Apple—
from $1,999, (800) 692-7753;
http://store.apple.com
3. Pavilion dv8000, HewlettPackard—$1,080,
(888) 999-4747;
www.hp.com
photo by Paul Schmidt
The expert weighs in: Stephen
Canale (canale.com), technology
expert and trainer, says, “For most
salespeople, the days of needing a
desktop computer are over. Today’s
notebooks have more than enough
power to run entire businesses, and
can also plug into all of the commonly
desired accessories such as: monitors,
keyboards, printers, scanners, backup
drives, etc. As long as you’re running
a Pentium III–class machine (or the
In fact, recently a client from Ireland sent Andrews an e-mail message
requesting information about a condominium he had purchased from her
in 2005. He needed the information
in less than an hour. Instead of racing
back to her office, she pulled over to
the side of the road, found the information on her BlackBerry and sent
the client a quick e-mail, long before
he needed it.
This kind of service, made possible
by technology, explains why Andrews’
business is constantly growing. “I can
communicate back and forth with my
clients so easily with my BlackBerry,”
she says.
photo by Mark wemple
presentation includes
samples of the marketing materials
she creates for
sellers, her bio
and price statistics
for the area surrounding the seller’s property. Wisneski is reminded daily
of how important technology is to her
career. Recently, a buyer from Utah
was looking for a house in Tampa,
and Wisneski took her to see several
homes on the market. The buyer saw
one house that she didn’t like, but
instantly fell in love with the community that the house was in.
After dropping off the buyer,
Wisneski connected to the MLS with
her smartphone and quickly scanned
other listings in the area. When she
found possible matches, she text
messaged them to the buyer. Within
hours, the buyer found a house she
liked and made an offer, which was
accepted. “She was ecstatic,” Wisneski
says. “That deal never could have happened before we had this technology.”
graphic area, so I spend a majority of my
time in my car. The BlackBerry helps
me do business while I’m on the road.” Andrews works with several
international clients, and must juggle
different time zones to serve them.
Thanks to her BlackBerry, she can
communicate with these clients at
hours that are convenient to them.
4. Qosimo G35-AV600,
Toshiba—from $2,399,
(800) 316-0920;
www.toshiba.com
Digital Cameras
1. PowerShot A620, Canon—
from $298, (800) 652-2666,
www.canon.com
2. EasyShare Z740, Kodak—
from $250, (800) 235-6325,
www.kodak.com
The expert weighs in: Allen Hainge,
founder of the real estate Cyber Stars
group of sales associates, says, “Today,
cell phones incorporate everything
from basic cell phone service to e-mail
and the Internet, to productivity tools
like cameras (both still and video),
calendars, calculators, text messaging
and MLS access (the latter of which
typically has to be set up with the
local MLS).”
Working from Anywhere
Doreen Clark doesn’t spend much
time in her real estate office. She
doesn’t have to. Thanks to wireless
technology and her Tablet PC, Clark
can transform any space into an
office—the park, a restaurant and
3. Nikon D50, Nikon—$700,
(800) 645-6687;
www.nikon.com
4. Olympus Stylus 800,
Olympus —from $250 to
$350, (888) 553-4448,
www.olympus.com
E-mail Providers
and Software
1. AOL, America Online—
$23.90 monthly,
(888) 698-6892;
www.aol.com
2. Earthlink, Earthlink
Network Inc.—from $12.95
monthly, (888) 327-8454;
www.earthlink.net
3. Eudora 7, QUALCOMM Incorporated— $49.95 annually,
(800) 238-3672;
www.eudora.com
4. Outlook, Microsoft—$109,
(800) 936-4900;
www.microsoft.com
21
Better
The expert
even her car.
weighs in: Rolf
Clark, a sales associate
Anderson, CRS, a
with Amerivest Realty in
national technology
Naples, relies on a Bluespeaker, writes in the Hewletttooth wireless headset to
Packard Real Estate Center
communicate with her
(www.hp.com/sbso/solutions/
clients and customers.
real): “With your Tablet PC
She uses her BlackBerry
you can easily navigate your
to send and receive e-mail
e-mail program with the digimessages on the road, to
tal pen and write in your own
log onto the Internet and
handwriting. The ‘thank-you
to connect to home listnote’ takes on a new digital
ings. She uses her Tablet
facelift. And, every time I
PC to draw up contracts
send an e-mail in my own
wherever she is, and then
handwriting, it makes such an
she prints them out with
impression on the recipient.
her portable printer.
Impressive. Try that with a
In May, she met with
regular Notebook PC.”
a customer interested in
a property. She brought
with her three versions of
Making Digital Art
a contract on her Tablet
Barb Malz is a real estate
PC. After making changes
professional and a phototo one, she printed it out
grapher. Her photos have
Barbara Malz
on her portable printer.
appeared in local magazines
RE/MAX Realty One
She then scanned the
and newspapers.
Inverness
signed document into her
For Malz, a sales associate
photo by Kinzie-Reihm, Inc.
computer and e-mailed it
with RE/MAX Realty One
to the title company, buyer and seller.
or delivering things by snail mail. In
in Inverness, few pieces of technology
This gave the title company the
48 hours, I received documentation
are as important as her Cannon Rebel
opportunity to get started quickly.
back from the title company. We were
digital camera and Microsoft Publisher
The customer had three weeks to get
a week ahead, and we started the propresentation software. By using these
a jumbo loan and close the purchase.
cess less than 48 hours earlier.”
two pieces of technology skillfully,
Every day Clark could shave off the
The biggest surprise to Clark? Not all Malz sets herself apart from other
process, thanks to technology, was
sales associates are as connected. “I’m
sales associates trying to nab listings.
important, she says.
amazed that not all [sales associates]
“It’s hard to think about going back
“I was able to get everyone on the
rely on this technology,” she says. “I’m
to days past where you had to develop
same page in minutes,” she says.
amazed, but I’m also thrilled to death.
film and use those big MLS books. It’s
“That’s better than running around
It gives me a competitive advantage.”
so much easier now,” she says.
Web Development
Applications
(800) 426-9400;
www.microsoft.com
1. Dreamweaver 8,
Adobe®—$399,
(800) 833-6687;
www.adobe.com/
products/dreamweaver
2. GoLive® CS2,
Adobe®—$399,
(800) 833-6687; www.adobe.
com/products/golive
3. Microsoft ® Office
FrontPage 2003,
Microsoft—$146-$199,
Presentation Software
1. HP Real Estate Marketing
Assistant, HewlettPackard—$99,
(888) 999-4747;
www.hp.com
2. PowerPoint 2002,
Microsoft—from $223,
(800) 936-4900;
www.microsoft.com
22
3. Publisher 2003,
Microsoft—$169,
(800) 936-4900;
www.microsoft.com
4. The Print Shop® Pro
Publisher™ Deluxe 22,
Broderbund—$99,
(800) 395-0277;
www.broderbund.com
GPS Systems
1. EZ Road GPS Pocket
Navigator, Pharo—from $489,
(310) 212-7088; www.pharosgps.com
2. Garmin iQ3600, Garmin—
from $549, (800) 800-1020;
www.garmin.com
3. RoadMate 300, Magella—
from $399, (800) 669-4477;
www.magellangps.com
4. StreetPilot i3, Garmin—
from $325, (800) 800-1020;
www.garmin.com
5. TomTom Navigator 5,
TomTom—from $299,
(866) 486-6866;
www.tomtom.com
Better
Good photos are essential to getting
a house sold. By snapping her photos
with her digital camera and then uploading them to the MLS, Malz makes
sure that customers see her listings
in their best light possible. And she
makes sure her photos do justice to
her properties. Out-of-focus shots?
Bad angles? Poor lighting? You won’t
see any of that with her listings.
Malz also uses Microsoft Publisher,
in conjunction with her digital camera, to create professional marketing
materials. She takes samples with her
on listing presentations, so her potential clients can see how good she can
make their homes look.
“It makes such a difference in listing presentations,” Malz says. “The
clients really like seeing what I can do
to promote their homes. Having really
good photos that people can look at
online makes a big difference when
you’re trying to sell a house.”
The expert weighs in: Hainge
says, “[A digital camera] is my favorite
method [of marketing]. You can get
good resolution (get a camera with at
least 640x480 resolution), and get the
‘Wow!’ effect when you use it in front
of buyers or sellers. It’s a tremendous
listing and selling tool. My favorite at
the moment? The Polaroid PDC 800:
pcm card storage, high resolution,
LCD viewfinder, and the ability to record a small sound file to each picture
you take.”
Finding His Way
Todd Thompson hasn’t gotten lost
in more than half a year. And, he
thanks his new global positioning
system (GPS) for that.
Slightly more than six months ago,
Thompson bought a Magellan 300
GPS. Now he simply tells his GPS
where he wants to go, and the system
provides him with accurate directions. Should Thompson miss a turn,
his Magellan 300 automatically figures
a new route for him.
Thompson, an investment associ24
Todd Thompson
Real Net USA
Orlando
photo by Debi Harbin
ate with the Orlando office of Real
Net USA of Central Florida, considers his purchase money well-spent,
especially since he paid just $250 for
his GPS on eBay.
If he spells a street name wrong,
the GPS will help him find the right
address. If he doesn’t know an exact
address, Thompson can punch in intersections or points of interest to find
his appointment location. The machine also stores up to 50 previously
inputted addresses.
“Mapquest printouts are so messy
and cumbersome,” he says. “I always
had to print out each comp address I
was using to formulate my CMA. It
wasted time and money.”
Thompson’s GPS has even made
him money. Recently, he was out in
the field and needed to look at an investment property that a competitor
was already heading toward. Using
his GPS, Thompson was able to input
the property’s address, find a short
cut and reach the property within
minutes, before his competition
arrived. Thompson made an offer on
the property immediately, he says
and gave thanks for his GPS, which
he estimates paid for itself 10 times
over that day.
“I’m surprised that more people
don’t rely on GPS,” Thompson says.
“The ones [who] don’t [own a GPS]
don’t understand the true advantage it
gives you”
The expert weighs in: Randy
Eagar, technology trainer and founder
of Computer Camp (www.computercamp.net) says, “I think Todd’s very
wise in buying a stand-alone GPS
rather than buying it built into the
car. For a new car, it’s a $3,000 option. While that’s nice, what Todd has
done is better because you can save.
Other than being able to find houses quickly, I see the biggest benefit to
having a GPS is the buyers’ reaction.
It’s one impressive tool.”
Dan Rafter is a Chicago-based
freelance writer.
Better
By BRIDGET McCREA
10
Ways to Sell a Home Fast
You’ve heard it a million
times—the market is
changing. What are you
doing to sell your listings
fast? We’ve got answers.
26
(And we mean speedy!)
W
hether your market is booming or things are slowing down, it’s
smart business to get back to basics. Since homes are staying on
the market longer these days, even where sales are steady, it’s
vital for you to put more of an effort into getting your listings sold quickly,
and at the highest possible price.
So, blow the dust off your digital camera and create your own virtual
tours. Or, do what one enterprising sales associate is doing: Climb into an
airplane to snap aerial photos of your listings. And, you can always create
gimmicks, offer incentives and bonuses, and maximize the Multiple Listing
Service (MLS) to its fullest potential.
Here are 10 tried-and-tested ways that sales associates are making their
listings move quickly:
1
Shoot My Good Side, Please
When the market began stabilizing last fall, Jenny Wemert knew
she’d have to start doing more to get
her listings noticed and sold. A Realtor® with Keller Williams Advantage
Realty in Orlando, Wemert pulled out
her digital camera and started shooting her own virtual tours. “When we
were in a seller’s market, I didn’t even
have time to get a virtual tour done
on a home before it sold,” Wemert
illustrationS by Alec Sacui
27
Better
The Legal Eagle says...
Play Nice
explains. “We saw a shift in [the market], and now all of my listings have
virtual tours.”
But they’re not your typical tours.
Intent on highlighting the best aspects of her listings, Wemert shoots
her own tours, then uploads them
to VisualTour.com. “When a virtual
tour company comes in and does a
360-degree tour, you get what you
get,” says Wemert.
To maximize the virtual tours,
Wemert incorporates photos (that she
takes) of the community and information into them, and e-mails them to
clients for distribution through a
virtual marketing–type network.
“The sellers send them to everyone,
who in turn forward them to even
more people,” says Wemert. “That
not only helps sell the home, but also
results in more referrals.”
2
Once Upon a Time
Intimate knowledge of Orange
County’s historic and lake
homes has helped Michael Derenthal
sell properties faster in the current
market. A broker-owner at Derenthal
Realty Group in Winter Park, he and
his three-person team have extensive
experience renovating older and historic homes. They’ve tapped that experience to help create a viable niche
homes for sale.
Take the
lakefront home that
started as a fishing camp
in the 1930s, and was later owned
by an eccentric politician who
incorporated European architectural elements into it. Instead of
positioning it as “just another lakefront home,” Derenthal marketed the
property—under contract at press
time—as a piece of Orlando’s his-
“We can look someone in the eye and know that we
have more expertise in older homes than most [sales
associates] out there,” says broker-owner Michael
Derenthal, who spends time learning about the history
of older homes in his market.
in residential real estate sales.
“We can look someone in the eye
and know that we have more expertise in older homes than most [sales
associates] out there,” says Derenthal, who plays up the homes’ unique
points, as compared to many of the
newer tract homes available in the
area. In addition, Derenthal always
has a story to tell about the historic
28
tory. “We played that up, and piqued
people’s interest,” he says. “That gets
them in the door and helps the home
sell itself.”
3
Kitsch Marketing
When 823 White Street in Key
West’s Old Town Historic District went on the market recently, Jim
Smith, broker-associate with Realty
Smith, “and the property is very
nice too.”
Executives Keys, knew he had to do
something special to get potential buyers interested in the property. When
he learned that back in the 1870s the
property was owned by a dairy farmer
and known as “Cold’s Milk Farm,” a
light bulb went on over his head.
“We put a life-sized, plastic cow out
on the sidewalk to draw people into
our open houses,” says Smith, who
has loaned the cow out to several local
entities (such as the tax assessor’s
office, for a surprise birthday party),
and used the gimmick to attract other
brokers to show the property. “I visited their offices carrying a milk pail,
distributing postcards and Milky Way
candy bars.”
Priced at $2.4 million, the property
hasn’t sold yet, but Smith is hopeful
that when it does, the cow will have
played a role in attracting the right
buyer. “Everyone loves the cow,” says
4
Throw in a Tee Time
Because Dave Cullen works
primarily in golf communities, it
only makes sense that he would shape
his marketing strategy around the
sport. A sales associate with Century
21 Horizon Properties in Port St.
Lucie, Cullen says one buyer incentive that’s gone over well is a one-year
membership to a local country club.
“Assuming that most interested
buyers will be golfers, we reasoned
that having somewhere to play for a
year as the homeowners acclimate
themselves to their new surroundings would have a positive effect,”
says Cullen, who just started using
the strategy, which costs him about
$2,000 per family.
“I’ve seen a slight increase in the
number of showings on my listings,”
says Cullen. “When I talk to people
about the listing, the first thing
they want details about is the golf
membership.”
In your rush to get the transaction
closed, it’s vital not to overlook the
very ethics to which the National Association of Realtors and state licensing
groups require you to adhere.
Blaming the slowing market and the
huge number of inexperienced sales
associates who entered the market
in the last five years, Michael Derenthal says comments like “Look Mike,
this is just the first round, give us the
counter,” are common, yet unethical
and potentially harmful to the buyer. “It
can take thousands of dollars out of
someone’s pocket,” says Derenthal.
Jim Smith, who sits on his Board of
Realtors’ grievance committee, points
to simple moves, like Photoshopdoctoring of photos, as possibly being
unethical. “How much can you really
remove or change from a property
photo before you slip into unethical
practices?” he asks.
Basic courtesy also comes into play
in the industry, where sales associates
are expected to cooperate in the best
interest of their clients.
Here are a few of the most common
misconceptions when it comes to adhering to the Realtor Code of Ethics.
1
If You Can’t Say Something Nice.
“Article 15 of the Realtor Code of
Ethics says that you aren’t supposed
to say anything bad about another Realtor,” says Linda Dix, owner of Linda
Dix Realty in Tallahassee and a Code
of Ethics instructor. “That pertains
to speaking badly about flat fee and
discount brokers as well. What they’re
doing is legal and ethical.”
2
Just the Facts. Don’t take a
guess when you’re entering
property descriptions into the multiple
listing service (MLS), says Rus Saboe, a
sales associate with RE/MAX Oceanside in Flagler Beach and chair of the
Flagler County Association of Realtor’s
Professional Standards Committee.
“We have a case where a [sales associate] entered a home into the MLS
and said it was block and stucco construction when, in fact, it was a wood
frame house. This case still hasn’t
been resolved.” Saboe recommends
that you know your facts before filling
out any property description in the
MLS. Don’t guess on square footage,
construction or lot size, to name a few.
3
Let the Sellers Do It. Saboe
also cautions that sales associates aren’t allowed to fill in the
sellers’ disclosure form. “Real estate
agents routinely assist sellers without realizing that it’s not allowed,” he
says. And, says Saboe, don’t forget,
“Even if a roof leak has been repaired, it should still be disclosed.”
4
Stick With What You Know.
According to Article 11 of the Realtor Code of Ethics, sales associates
are supposed to inform a customer or
client up front what type of property
(residential or commercial) in which
they specialize, says Dix. “If I have
a client come to buy a commercial
property, I must disclose that I don’t
specialize in commercial,” says Dix.
“You can still go forward with the
transaction as long as the client understands [and agrees with] this. And,
you must disclose this to the buyer
even if you’ve dealt with this person
before on another transaction.”
“The best results come when
Realtors work together with their
customers’ [and clients’] best interests in mind, and work in the spirit of
cooperation and fairness to get the
transaction to closing,” says Charlene DeWitt, a sales associate with
Dean and DeWitt Properties in St.
Petersburg.
Got a question about the Realtor
Code of Ethics? You can view the
Code of Ethics online at www.realtor.
org/realtororg.nsf/pages/narcode or
call Kristy Harrington at FAR’s Legal
Hotline, 407-438-1409, Mon. through
Fri. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please have
your real estate license number available when you call.
29
Better
9 More Ways
to Manage the
Listing
1. Price it right. Prices aren’t
appreciating as they once
were. Keep that in mind when
helping the seller price the
home.
2. Make it look good. From
planting flowers and adding
mulch to the flower beds to
clearing up the clutter inside
the house, starting with a clean
palette will help a new listing
sell faster.
3. Use the Multiple Listing
Service. Market the house with
lots of pictures and complete
information in the MLS.
4. Use alternative methods.
Consider an auction for a
quick sale.
5. Multiply your marketing. Try
more than just a couple of
postcards. Create virtual tours,
use the newspaper, have an
open house. Multiple marketing
methods will give the seller
more exposure.
6. Get back to basics. Take sales
associates on caravan to view
new listings.
7. Specialize. Use your
knowledge of a neighborhood
or specific type of home to
your advantage.
8. Sell it to your peers. When
marketing the property, don’t
forget to talk it up to other
sales associates.
9. Know your financing. Brush
up on creative financing so
you can explain to buyers
alternatives to the 30-year,
fixed-rate mortgage.
30
5
The Devil Is in the Details
Sometimes all it takes is attention to detail and a professional
attitude to get the job done right,
according to Janie Coffey, broker/
co-owner of Papillon Properties in
Coral Gables. Take basic spelling and
grammar, for example. After reviewing current MLS listings in her area,
Coffey estimates that well over 50
percent of them contained misspelled
words, with some lacking any property description at all. On many of
the listings, she says, photos are either
sparse or of poor quality.
If you want people to show your
listings, she says, it’s smart to use
the MLS to your full advantage. That
quick review of posted listings will
prove that many [sales associates] fail
to observe this basic principle,” says
Coffey, who advises sales associates
to use all the photos they can and to
carefully select a variety of good shots
in an effort to add to the impression
the potential buyer receives.
“In the last month alone, I’ve seen
fuzzy pictures, toilet seats up, pictures
of computer screens (because they
couldn’t figure how to get the image to
the MLS), groceries on counters, images turned sideways and even shots
with taxidermy (this alone could rule
out a showing),” says Coffey.
If the listing doesn’t have eight great
shots, Coffey suggests using an aerial
Including
and
“If you want people to show your listings,”
says broker-associate Janie Coffey, “it’s
smart to use the MLS to your full advantage.”
means lots of quality pictures, carefully worded property descriptions and
filled-in blanks on the MLS form.
And, it goes without saying that all
sales associates should return phone
calls, have a working knowledge of
their listings and show up for appointments, says Coffey, who says she takes
the high road by acting professionally
at all times and by treating all contacts and colleagues with respect.
Those values go a long way in
helping this Realtor sell her listings
quickly and professionally, she says.
6
Take Great Photos, and
Use Them
The MLS can be a sales associate’s best friend, if used properly. By
using all its features and options to
highlight properties, Coffey says, sales
associates can maximize their listing
exposure while also standing head
and shoulders above many of their
competitors.
“This may seem elementary, but a
view, a floor plan or other informative images that draw the buyer in. “If
you have a condo listing, make every
effort to get in and take pictures of the
actual unit,” says Coffey. “If you only
show the building exterior and the
amenities, the message comes through
that the unit itself is outdated or in
poor condition.”
7
Deal or No Deal?
No one can resist a free giveaway, even when buying higherend homes priced at $500,000 and up
in the Fort Lauderdale area, says Erica
Stowers. Knowing this, the sales associate with RE/MAX Alliance offers
buyer’s brokers a $5,000 bonus for
selling her listings (on top of the negotiated commission rate). On certain
transactions—particularly for firsttime homebuyers—Stowers will also
offer to pay some of the closing costs.
She says she does it in the name of
getting maximum exposure for higherend listings, which aren’t moving as
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Bringing Real Estate together...
www.transactiondesk.com
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Steck
Coffey
Cullen
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Wemert
Better
32
quickly as they were a year ago.
Stowers says her full-service approach, combined with the incentives,
has kept her business on track.
8
He Flies Through the Air …
Not all sales associates can get
into the seat of an airplane and
fly over their listings to take aerial
photographs of them, but Cliff Clover can. A licensed pilot, this sales
associate, with Watson Realty Corp.
in Kissimmee, takes to the air once a
week to snap photos of all his listings.
Clover started using the strategy three
years ago, and he incorporates the
home itself plus the surroundings into
the photos, which he then publishes
online and uses in his marketing
materials.
“It gets the phone ringing, and tells
the story upfront for the other [sales
associates] who would bring a buyer,”
says Clover, who has about $20,000
invested in camera equipment and
flying time. “It’s just one of the things
I do for clients outside of the normal
realm of things, and it really helps
me—and the properties themselves—
stand out in the marketplace.”
9
Dress It Up
Perception is everything in residential real estate, where small
flaws, bad color schemes and ugly carpeting can turn off buyers. To make
sure each of her listings is presented
in the best way possible, Charlene
DeWitt, a broker with Dean & DeWitt
Properties in St Petersburg, recently
began offering home-showcasing services to her clients.
From a local decorating consultant
who charges $100 an hour, DeWitt
and her sellers receive a prioritized
list of recommendations for preparing the house for sale and cost
estimates (for the implementation of
each suggestion).
Before scheduling the consultant,
DeWitt asks clients if they’re willing
to do what it takes to get the maximum sales price for their property.
“Then, by employing a neutral third
party with expertise in decorating
and preparing a home for sale,” says
DeWitt, “we get a better response
from the customer, regarding openness to change and investing in
improvements.”
10
Open Up the House
Buyers may be starting their
home searches on the Internet, but Terri Steck knows that when
it comes right down to it, what they
really want to do is see homes in an
up-close and personal way that only
a showing or open house can provide.
“I hold open houses virtually every
day,” says Steck, a sales associate
with Windermere Realty Group Inc.
in Central Florida.
“I approach open houses, not as a
courtesy to sellers but as a viable part
of the buying/selling process,” says
Steck, who also drills into her clients’
heads the fact that their properties are
less of a “home” and more of an “investment” that needs to be kept open
house–ready throughout the length of
the listing agreement.
To get foot traffic at her open
houses, Steck uses helium balloon
bouquets on her directional signs and
stocks the home with fresh-baked
chocolate chip cookies, cold bottled
water and juice for the kids. She also
uses four-color fliers that highlight the
property and include floor plans, color
photos, feature lists, buyer incentives, seller contributions, a location
guide, a school list, information about
taxes and homeowners’ association
fees, the year built, nearby recreation
and shopping information, as well as
professional affiliations and how-tocontact information for Steck and for
her broker.
“I’ve [put] all of this information on
one sheet of paper because I invest in
the services of a professional graphic
designer,” says Steck. “High-profile
companies are memorable because
their ‘look’ is consistent. That’s my
goal too.”
Bridget McCrea is a Clearwaterbased freelance writer.
Attention Florida Realtors:
You may not be getting all the
commissions you deserve.
Find out more
Call 877-389-3501 or visit
6
By Heidi Russell Rafferty
Outside-the-box
In a tight buyers’ market, your name can
easily blur gray among an endless list
of sales associates. Find out how these
Realtors pop and sparkle.
®
“In a very competitive marketplace;
it’s always a challenge to be creative.
But what I’ve seen is that the tried
and true always win out,” says Dr.
Charles Matthews, director of the
University of Cincinnati’s Center
for Entrepreneurship, Education &
Research in Cincinnati. “Folks who
have always been in the marketplace
are always keeping their name out
there in the community, and [those]
who are knowledgeable are the most
successful.” Your goal is to assure that
people can easily dredge your name
from memory, he says. “You need to
come up with something unique so
that when people sell or buy, they
think of you first.”
Some Florida sales associates have
done just that. From wacky to wonderful, here are some ideas.
1
The Guy with the Bus
photo by Ray Stanyard
Better
In rural Blountstown (population: 15,000), it’d be hard to
miss “The Christmas Bus.”
Every December, Danny Ryals,
broker of Danny Ryals Real Estate,
decorates the 1972 PartridgeFamily-era bus with lights and holiday themes—or whatever
else strikes his fancy—
along with his real estate
advertisements. He
gives free nighttime
rides to community
groups so that they
can enjoy the seasonal lights and go caroling
in style.
And everyone remembers
his name.
Promotional Ideas
(Some are wacky but they work!)
34
More important, they call him when
they’re ready to buy or sell a house.
“People stop me all the time,” he
says. “In the grocery store, I’ve gotten business and referrals. They say,
‘You’re the guy with the bus!’ [Some]
of them don’t say it, but I know that’s
how they got my name.”
He bought the bus in 1980 for $600.
Although it’s old in years, it’s been
driven only 53,000 miles. “I only drive
it a few hundred miles a year, so this
bus will outlast me,” he says.
Because Ryals transports the public,
insurance is high—up to $1,500 per
year. Even so, it’s worth it, he says.
The bus has taken on a marketing life
of its own; Ryals prints Christmas
cards with a bus photo, and his 7- and
9-year-old children and their friends
throw more than 100 pounds of candy
from the bus during neighborhood
rides (cost: several hundred dollars,
which includes new lights, too). He
also takes out a $250 ad to get the bus
on the front cover of local home magazine, “Buy a Home.” And he drives it
in the local Christmas parade. Business advertising signs that he displays
on the bus cost $100 each.
“There’s nothing I do as far as
advertising that gets our name out better,” Ryals says.
Danny Ryals, Danny Ryals
Real Estate, Blountstown
35
Better
2
Advice from the Legal Eagle...
The Downtown
Mural Artist
Amy Rosebush had never taken
a painting class in her life. That didn’t
matter to officials who gave her an
award for her 19- by 18-foot mural on
the side of a historic downtown building in St. Cloud.
“The traffic that comes in from eBay is phenomenal,”
says sales associate Vince Remele. “I’ve had contact
with people in Israel, Belgium, Sweden, Chad and
Puerto Rico.”
It earned her a lot of free press. Not
only was she touted as the mural artist, but in interviews she was also able
to publicize that she was a real estate
professional. Rosebush, a sales associate with Sapphire Realty Services Inc.
in Kissimmee, puts the mural image
on her business cards and Web site.
She pays about $200 for 1,000 cards.
“I saw a pickup in business after
I did the mural,” she says. “I would
hand out my business card and mention that the painting on it was one I
had done for St. Cloud. People would
say, ‘I know that painting!’ I immediately click with them as a human
being. It helps me break the ice.”
One of her clients, a man from New
York, had visited the mural with his
daughter. He told Rosebush that he
was excited to be working with the
sales associate who had created it.
Now Rosebush is expanding on
the idea. She’s targeted a high-end
neighborhood with a mailing, saying
that, if they list with her, she’ll create
paintings of those owners’ homes as a
memory keepsake after they sell. She
spent about $300 on the mailing.
“I will pay for everything, the
canvas and frame and paint, and I’ll
do the painting in any size. These
are million-dollar homes, so even if I
spend part of my commission on the
painting, someone will have friends
[that they can refer to me]. It works
for me if I get my foot in the door and
create a relationship,” she says.
Amy Rosebush, Sapphire Realty Services Inc., Kissimmee
36
photo by rey villavicencio
3
The eBay Guy
For $150 a month, Vance
Remele gets worldwide exposure
to more than 181 million shoppers in
35 countries—on eBay. Since November, Remele, a sales associate with
Southern Realty Enterprises in Longwood, has closed five sales, averaging
$190,000 each, from his eBay listings.
“It’s $150 well spent. You can’t get
that kind of exposure even on TV.
I’ve had contact from people in Israel,
Belgium, Sweden, Chad and Puerto
Rico,” says Remele. “The traffic that
comes in on eBay is phenomenal. You
get a lot of tire kickers, but that’s fine.”
Here’s how it works: While most
eBay listings are auctions, Remele’s
is a straight advertisement. He puts
together a photo show with $69 software called Nero. One ad takes hours
to assemble, he says, “but it only
takes one person to make it worthwhile,” he adds.
When he gets a bite, he points the
potential buyer to his Web site and
continues to build a
relationship. “Both
of us are online at
the same time, so
I’m speaking to them
while they’re surfing
my site,” he says.
Although Remele
discourages people
from buying properties sight unseen,
some do it anyway.
One of his condo
listings sold for
$128,000 to an Ohio
woman who saw the
property for the first
time on closing day.
“About 78 percent
of homebuyers shop
the Internet. So
in my opinion, 78
percent of real estate
associates need a
good Web site. You’re
missing the boat by
not participating,”
he says.
4
The
Soccer Dad
outfitted them with his “BestBrokerFlorida” slogan. During the games, he
takes digital photos of the team players and e-mails them to their parents.
“So they’re getting a subliminal message!” he says.
Manning also strategically placed
an 8- by 3-foot banner at the entrance
of the soccer complex that announces:
“BestBrokerFlorida Kicks It with
Brandon Soccer.” Other team spon-
Jim Manning, RE/MAX South Shore Realty, Tampa
Jim Manning,
photo by Mark wemple
a broker-associate
at RE/MAX South
Shore Realty in Tampa, calls himself
sors’ banners weren’t as colorful,
the “team owner” of two enterprishe says. He designed it and worked
es—the “BestBrokerFlorida Thunder” with a Kinko’s graphic artist to put it
and the “BestBrokerFlorida Sharks.”
together. All told, he spent about four
Yes, they’re his kids’ teams—11hours on it. He paid $700 for both
year-old Jesse’s and 5-year-old Lucy’s.
teams’ uniforms, plus $200 for the
This year during the Decemberbanner.
to-March soccer season, Manning
“At RE/MAX, you’re encouraged to
sponsored each team’s uniforms and
create a sub-brand, so I spent a lot of
Exemplary
Behavior
Ready to put together a promotion? Anything beyond the required
office sign can be considered an
advertisement. This includes business cards, letterhead, yard signs,
billboards, newspaper ads, name
tags, television and radio commercials... and yes, even first-aid kits
and soccer banners, among other
promotions. Keep in mind these
legal requirements:
1
In any ad, you must include the
licensed name of the brokerage firm. If it’s not obvious from the
name of the firm that you are in the
real estate business, for example
if your firm name does not include
Realty or Real Estate, you should
also include some additional disclosure so that a reasonable person
would know they’re dealing with a
licensee. This could include your
Realtor ® designation (i.e., Realtor or
Realtor-Associate), or the inclusion
of the phrase (below the firm name)
“licensed real estate brokerage.”
2
You don’t have to include your
name in an advertisement, but, if
you do, then at the very least, you’re
required to include your last name
as registered with the Florida Real
Estate Commission (FREC). As long
as your last name is used, you may
use your first name or a nickname on
the sign.
3
In August 2005, the Florida Real
Estate Commission approved a
change to its advertising rule—61J210.025—to require that all real estate
advertisements include not only
the licensed name of the brokerage
firm but the phone number as well.
But don’t start replacing yard signs,
newspaper ads, business cards and
other materials just yet. At press
time, the Florida Real Estate Commission decided not to enforce the
rule change until after a workshop
on implementation of the rule is held.
Watch for updates in Florida Realtor
magazine.
Questions? Call FAR’s Legal
Hotline, Monday through Friday, from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (407) 438-1409.
Please have your real estate license
number available when you call.
37
they want information about the area,
hopefully they’ve kept their map,”
Smith says.
“I believe you can best sell what you
know and love.”
Cynthia Smith
Cridland & Cridland PA GMAC
Real Estate, Inverness
time honing in on ‘BestBrokerFlorida,’”
he says.
Manning notes that the complex has
12 fields and that daily attendance is
“huge.” “Every day, there are tons of
kids and games and parents. There are
traveling squads of teams,” he says.
He hasn’t been able to directly tie
any sales to his efforts yet, but he
expects them to pay off soon. He notes
that socializing with other parents
builds rapport.
“The costs are relatively low for the
amount of exposure I get,” he says.
5
The On-the-Trail
Specialist
Cyclists comprise a tight community, especially those who regularly
use the Withlacoochee Trail State
Park. The 46-mile trek is the longest
paved trail in Florida.
Cynthia Smith, a sales associate
with Cridland & Cridland PA GMAC
Real Estate in Inverness, fell in love
with cycling three years ago and
moved from a home near the ocean in
St. Augustine to Citrus County so that
she could use the trail regularly.
Come Up with Something Great!
How can you think beyond the obvious approach and come up with a
promotional idea that will catch the public by storm? Here are a few suggestions from Dr. Charles Matthews, director of the University of Cincinnati’s
Center for Entrepreneurship, Education & Research in Cincinnati.
1. Offer yourself as an expert. Teach free informational courses at the public
library or a local community college. “The customer values information. You
may not be getting business immediately, but eventually people will value
and appreciate you,” Matthews says.
2. Offer a memorable or humorous service. Danny Ryals’ Christmas bus
is a perfect example, Matthew says. “It’s a winning combination. It’s not
direct, but it gets your name out there because people like to laugh,
especially at themselves.”
3. Don’t be gimmicky. “There’s consistency and then there’s over-the-top
consistency,” Matthews says. “Consistency usually wins out. People
remember it—a catch phrase is oftentimes the best approach.”
38
“When I moved to the area, I had
difficulty finding a [sales associate]
who knew where the trail was,” she
says. So she parlayed her hobby into a
business-getting opportunity.
Smith sponsors riders in the Clean
Air Ride for the American Lung
Association and the annual October
Rails to Trails Ride. Each participant
receives a goody bag that includes a
T-shirt, power bar and water bottle.
Local businesses can also contribute
to the bags, so Smith contributes firstaid kits.
The kits are small and include a
Band-Aid, an alcohol swab, a dose of
Excedrin—and Smith’s business card,
which is orange and touts her as the
“On-the-Trail Specialist.”
Each kit, ordered from Branders.com,
is also imprinted with her logo. They
cost $1.70 each, and Smith orders
1,000 per ride, plus an extra 200 so
that she can offer them in her office.
She also provides riders with a
county map, which she buys from
her broker, already stamped with the
company logo. She marks each with
the location of her office in relation to
the trail. The cost is $400 per 1,000.
“If I have to e-mail [participants], and
photo by Kinzie-Reihm, Inc.
6
Shhhh ...
Getting people to recognize you
as a real estate specialist becomes easier once you find the venue
in which to display your knowledge.
Lidya Gongage, a sales associate with
Stirling/Sotheby’s International
Realty in Winter Park, is organizing
free classes in conjunction with the
Seminole County Public Library.
“The library is a friendly, neutral
environment, and we’re not selling
anything—just giving information,”
Gongage says.
Gongage plans for a mortgage banker
(usually her daughter, Michelle, of The
Mortgage Firm in Winter Park) to teach
a class to first-time homebuyers. “There
are a lot of young people who can’t afford to get started, and she helps people
bring their credit up so that they can
buy a house,” Gongage says.
She has also lined up a representative from First American Title Co.
to do an informational session on
Internal Revenue Service Code 1031
for investment property buyers.
“I’ll be in attendance to shake
hands and bring refreshments. I’m a
good cook, so I’ll make some special
European cookies,” she says.
In addition, Gongage and two other
sales associates in her office have paid
$2,300 each to get their contact information on shopping carts at the local
Albertsons supermarket. Ad Carts
Co. designs the ads and puts them in
jackets in each cart.
“It’s all about name recognition.
Maybe someone will recall my name,
but won’t be able to place where they
heard it. But they’ll still contact me.
At this point in my career, it’s worth
it,” she says.
Heidi Russell Rafferty is a Georgiabased freelance writer.
39
Better
8
Broker
By g.m. filisko
(Including the
solutions you’re
craving!)
Challenges
Lead generation, hiring quality sales associates,
maintaining profitability—typical challenges when
you own or manage a brokerage. Here are some
common issues and some thoughtful solutions.
Fighting to maintain your company’s profitability? Facing consumers
who demand that your agents lower
commissions? If you’re like most
brokers, you’re dealing with these
challenges and many others.
We can help. We talked to brokers
and experts about what they consider
the biggest challenges for brokers in
the next several years and what they
consider to be the best ways to solve
them. Here’s their wisdom and advice.
Challenge 1: Everyone wants
a piece of your pie.
There isn’t a broker in the country
who isn’t trying to maintain profitability in the face of demands from
consumers to lower their commissions
and from agents to raise theirs.
“There’s a ‘scissors’ effect,” says
Linda Sherrer, president and CEO
of Prudential Network Realty in
Jacksonville. “Consumers are trying
to lower commissions, agents’ commissions are higher and the broker’s
caught in the middle. No matter what
company, what part of the country,
that’s the biggest outcry from brokers,” she says.
Phil Wood, CEO of John R. Wood,
Realtors® in Naples, says he’s facing
the pressure from sales associates, and
he’s willing to give a little more. “We
can afford to pay agents what they
want if we deliver a lot of services
and grow enough,” he says. “Although
our margin might be lower, we’ve got
enough profit in the long run.”
Wood also says paying sales associ-
illustrations by susan sanford
41
Better
ates more is smart business. “Profitability is important, but if we don’t
make quite as much as the broker
down the street, that’s OK,” he says.
“We want to see our personnel have
a good family life and income, and
when that happens, it’s a win-win.
They stay with us longer and are more
productive.”
On the consumer side, the explosion of the number of real estate
to resist the price of the commission,
not the percentage. It’s one thing to
pay a $12,000-$13,000 commission
on a $200,000 home, but in a lot of
markets, the commission is $35,000$50,000, and those numbers get
people’s attention.”
Wood says a key way to address
consumers’ demands for lower commissions is to educate them about
your value. “A lot of online companies
put out the message that they can help
consumers find a property, which
can result in paying less to real estate
agents,” he says. “Finding the property is only a tenth of the way there.
The rest is holding the transaction together. We’ve not done a very good job
of communicating to customers that
we do a lot more than find properties.”
Challenge 2: It’s challenging
to adjust to a normal market.
practitioners combined with fewer
listings over the past 10 years has led
to “a whole lot more people chasing
a smaller piece of business, so you’re
going to get price competition,” says
Steve Murray, president of REAL
Trends, an industry research company in Denver. “The lack of measurable differentiation among brokers
and agents leaves most with little to
compete on except price,” he says.
Pressure from consumers has also
come, Murray says, because of the
“much greater availability of discount
brokerage alternatives than there ever
has been before,” he says.
“From our studies,” Murray says,
“we know that consumers are starting
42
Right up there with the commission crunch is adjusting to markets
that are slowing after years of frenzy.
“What we’re seeing now is a market
that’s normalizing,” says Alex Perriello, president and CEO of the Realogy
Franchise Group in Parsippany, N.J.
“As the market changes, agents and
brokers need to change their strategy
because most agents who’ve been in
the business for the last 10 years have
seen the market only one way, and
that’s up.”
Mike Pappas, president of The
Keyes Co./Realtors in Miami, says
newer sales associates need training
to help them transition to today’s market. “For the last four years, we had
a real estate market on steroids, and
you didn’t need skill to sell,” he says.
“Now, we’re communicating more
aggressively with associates and going
back to the fundamentals because this
market requires a new set of negotiation skills. Before, it was speed, and
we took orders from customers, and
now, it’s managing clients and offering
expertise in things like managing the
listing and positioning the property
properly.”
Perriello agrees. “When agents deal
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using electronic postmarks and
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and document management solution free to FAR members, you can.
TransactionDesk provides users
the ability to manage real estate
transactions online from any computer that has a Web browser with
Adobe Acrobat installed; users can
securely manage their transactions,
contracts and forms. The program
doesn’t require any software installation prior to use.
You also can access all FAR and
FAR/BAR contracts and forms for
the transaction, or you can add
your company’s own forms and
contracts. A “Super User” account
for brokers and office managers
gives you access to all your associates‚ TransactionDesk accounts so
you can monitor the transactions
and even make corrections to the
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With the recent launch of
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To start using the program,
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questions? Call FAR’s Technology
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Estate Industry Solutions (REIS),
a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Florida Association of Realtors.
with sellers, they have to be far more
prepared with facts and figures about
the reality of the market to help sellers
make intelligent, informed decisions
on pricing and how to prepare the
house for sale,” he says. “Agents need
to be more informative, consultative
and reality based.”
Market changes are “very healthy,”
‘We’re going to get more mortgage
and title business, and that’ll fix the
problem.’ You have to fix the whole
business.”
Fixing the whole business requires
that brokers learn to say no, he says.
“One word brokers never use is no.
You’ve got to decide what kind of
business you’re going to run. What
Broker Phil Wood says he’s reining in costs
including marketing expenses. “Newspapers
produce less than 10 percent of sales for the
industry, so we’re a company working to reduce
its newspaper advertising while increasing our
presence on the Internet.”
says Sherrer. “Companies like ours live
to see this happen because it makes
everybody stretch and be better.”
Challenge 3: Brokerages
need to tighten their belts.
Intertwined with a changing market is the issue of rising costs. Murray
says that as time on market increases,
brokers will have higher advertising
and carrying costs, which will chip
away at profitability.
That’s true, says Wood, and he’s
reining in costs, including marketing
expenses. He says newspapers produce less than 10 percent of sales for
the industry, so his company is working to reduce its newspaper advertising while increasing its presence on
the Internet.
“Personnel and facilities are also
becoming very costly to us,” he says.
“The cost to build or rent a new office
is extremely high.” That’s led to the
company expanding its “cyber-agent”
program so that about 40 percent of
the company’s sales associates now
work out of their homes.
In response to these rising costs,
many brokers are focusing on increasing revenue from mortgage, title and
other nonbrokerage services. “That’s
not the end answer,” advises Murray.
“You’re not going to be able to say,
will you stand for in terms of service,
culture and other things? Then, you
need to say, ‘No, we won’t provide a
full set of services at a discount price.
No, we won’t give agents higher splits
on top of more service. No, increased
advertising isn’t the answer to every
problem.’”
“You’re going to have to run a financially tight ship by saying no,” says
Murray.
Challenge 4: You’ve got to
know what type of business
you’ll operate.
Tied in with tightening your belt
is a more fundamental issue. Before
you can decide where to best put your
endangered resources, you must determine what type of business you’ll
operate.
“A lot of brokers have gone through
fluctuations [in their identity],” says
Sherrer. “There are so many different business models, and you need to
sort out the profile of the consumer
you’re going to work with and how
your business model answers that
consumer.”
Her company has done just that.
“We’re 17 years old, and we took a
hard look at ourselves and asked what
our true business model is,” she says.
“We decided we’re extremely full
43
Better
service, so if consumers want only
someone who can stick a sign in the
yard, we’re not that company.”
Challenge 5: Keep
quality sales associates
on board.
Where would you be tomorrow
if your top sales associates left your
company today? In hot water, no
doubt. That’s why brokers say another
challenge is holding onto their best
associates.
“Our assets walk out the door every
night,” says Sherrer. “You have to
be very mindful of the people who
brought you to the dance, so to speak.
They helped you get where you are.”
Being mindful includes reminding
them what you do for them, she says.
It’s normal, when markets change
and income is harder to sustain, for
sales associates to ask whether the
problem is something they’re doing or
their company’s doing. “They assess
things,” says Sherrer, “and you have
to show them your value and that you
appreciate them.”
For instance, Sherrer has an advisory
group of sales associates from each office whose input she values. “Recently,
they started saying, ‘We need back-tobasics training and advice on how to
address this market,’” she says. “Within
two weeks, we had our trainers doing
workshops office to office, and we’ve
had resounding applause from that.
They know we’re listening.”
Challenge 6: Lay the
groundwork for growth.
Bringing great leaders into your
company is another challenge, says
Pappas. “Your organization is only
as good as your leadership team,” he
says. “You’ve got to have the structure
and organization for growth by hiring
the right people as part of your leadership team.”
“Brokers tend to think they can
do it all,” he says, “but you’ve got to
delegate, or you’ll spend all your time
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(904) 745-0705
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(407) 852-1777
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(407) 254-5000
Pasco County
(727) 847-6683
Pensacola
(850) 471-1166
Pinellas County
(727) 736-8000
Sarasota
(941) 359-1904
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(407) 331-6683
St. Johns/Clay
(904) 429-0283
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Each franchise independently owned and operated
putting out fires and never getting
into a proactive thinking mode.”
Pappas says his company wouldn’t
have been able to grow if he hadn’t
made the tough decision to hire
people to do things his former management team didn’t have the time
or expertise to handle.
“We were doing everything with
our family, and we definitely would
have tapped out,” he says. “We’ve
added a chief financial officer, another
marketing director, an information
technology director and regional managers. Once you start delegating, it’s
easier to clearly define your goals and
manage expectations.”
The toughest part of expanding
your management team, says Pappas, is dealing with the responsibility
it brings. “If you bring on all those
people, you’d better deliver,” he says.
“I feel more responsible for the business than I ever did.”
Challenge 7: Capture
online leads.
“In researching online leadgeneration firms like RealEstate.com,
ZipRealty.com and HouseValues.com,
we’ve seen national close rates in the
single-digit range, typically around
4 to 6 percent,” says Murray. “Those
brokers who actively work the leads,
however, are reporting close rates of
15 to 20 percent.”
Based on REAL Trends research,
Murray says, the leads themselves
aren’t lacking, but the brokers and
associates working them are. “The
broker who allocates a certain amount
of personnel and resources to setting
up, managing and diligently working
those leads will see the more profitable 15 to 20 percent capture rate,” he
says. “The lack of capture rate from
Internet inquiries lies not in the fact
that these are junk leads, but in the
fact that the brokerage industry as a
whole has yet to build the proper infrastructure for servicing those leads.”
Enter a new wave of technology,
companies whose mission is to help
brokers and associates make better
use of leads coming at them from
(continued on page 59)
45
:
Better
Help Wanted
10
By Bridget McCREA
Types of Personal Assistants
( You’ve got options!)
Just aren’t enough hours in the day to get
your work done? Try these tested strategies
for hiring help.
Elaine Wren was at the end of her
rope. In real estate for eight years,
she’d been handling her entire workload on her own. She was ready to
hire someone who could help her
manage the day-to-day business
activities while also upping her sales
volume. After talking to her business
coach about the issue, this brokerassociate with Century 21 Dynasty
Ocean in Hallandale decided to hire a
full-time assistant to handle specific
projects.
Wren immediately realized that
she should have made the move eight
years earlier. “If I knew then what I
know now, I never would have started
in this business without an assistant,”
says Wren, who sold $10 million
in properties last year. She’s gone
through four assistants since 1998,
and is happy with the licensed buyer’s
agent who’s working for her now on a
salary-plus-bonus basis.
46
The first three didn’t work out
as well. “My first assistant was so
taken with my business and lifestyle
that she tried to be me,” says Wren.
“She wanted to do everything that I
did, but nothing that I asked her to
do.” When hiring and training that
assistant’s successors, Wren ran into
a few more challenges. For example,
she says “letting go” was one of the
tougher obstacles to overcome.
“When you’re used to doing everything yourself, you always think you
can do it a little better than anyone
else,” Wren explains. “It was a little
rough for some of my assistants, until
I learned to just turn it over.” These
days, Wren “turns over” a number
of important tasks to her assistant,
including telemarketing, computer
work (such as searching the MLS for
new listings), appointment setting,
e-mail monitoring and responses, and
showing properties.
47
Having worked with four different
assistants, Wren says she’s learned
to conduct in-depth interviews when
recruiting. During those interviews,
she looks for those who are already
licensed or willing to become licensed
quickly.
“If I want to take a day off, I need to
know that someone can legally show
properties for me,” says Wren, who also
seeks out people who seem willing to
work hard in the real estate business,
which she knows isn’t for everyone.
“Being a real estate assistant isn’t a job
that you’re going to get rich from right
away, but if they apply themselves,
they’ll make good money at it.”
Type 1: The Team Concept
Across the real estate industry, sales
associates are finding creative ways to
maximize the limited number of hours
in a day that they have to run their
businesses. Some, like Wren, have
found success by working with
one or more licensed or unlicensed assistants who work part
time or full time, handling
the day-to-day tasks that
tend to weigh down a busy
professional. Others find
relief in virtual assistants,
or independent contractors
who work off site, handling tasks like transaction
management and marketing
coordination, while some
prefer to join forces with
other sales associates to create both formal and informal
teams and partnerships.
George Philbeck and Jenny
Wemert chose the latter and
haven’t looked back since.
Already working with a
(Type 2) transaction coordinator who is employed by
Orlando-based Keller Williams
Advantage Realty, Philbeck
and Wemert paired up in
August 2005 after realizing
just how synergistic their two
businesses were.
48
10
Types of
Personal Assistants
1. Team up with another sales associate. Use each other for support.
2. Transaction/closing coordinators
can help you manage the sale
paperwork.
3. A virtual assistant can be indispensable for marketing campaigns and other duties.
4. A buyer’s agent can show properties while you focus on getting
listings.
5. On the flip side, a listing specialist can generate listings while you
focus on buyers.
6. The unlicensed administrative
assistant can be useful for placing
your ads, stuffing envelopes and
handling phone calls.
7. Call coordinators follow up with
past clients and customers as well
as returning phone calls.
8. Online/database manager: This
person inputs your listings into the
MLS and online sites as well as
following up with any online leads.
9. Marketing assistant/director: From
building your campaign to coming
up with innovative promotions,
this person serves as your creative mastermind.
10. A licensed personal assistant can
serve as a jack-of-all-trades.
“Sales associates with good communication skills and the
ability to delegate tasks in a clear, succinct manner tend
to be the best match for a virtual assistant, says Omni
Support Services president Michele Sharrieff.
“Our businesses were identical, so
we got together and built our practices
on identical business plans, marketing plans and systems,” says Wemert.
“Yet, we’ve maintained our individual brands (The Wemert Team and
Philbeck & Associates), and we don’t
share sales.”
From the outside looking in, Philbeck
says, he and Wemert function just like
any other real estate team. Marketing
materials feature both Realtors®’ photos
and contact information. And when
important business decisions need to be
made, the Realtors turn to each other
for support and advice. “We consider
ourselves business partners,” says
Philbeck, who sold $10 million in
properties last year.
Both Philbeck and Wemert,
who sold $12 million in properties last year, have their own
(Type 3) full-time licensed
assistants, and continue
to use the services of
the office transaction
coordinator. Their
licensed assistants
have been trained as experts in the
transaction itself, taking care of the
basic steps that need to be taken prior
to closing, such as client and customer
support, documentation, obtaining
signatures, working with third-party
service providers and other key tasks.
They also handle phone calls, messages, showing coordination and other
day-to-day tasks that free up Philbeck
and Wemert to sell properties. The
transaction coordinator takes over
once a purchase agreement has been
accepted. She handles everything
from scheduling home inspections and
appraisals to ensuring that all documents are signed in an orderly, timely
fashion for closing day.
Just a few months into their alliance, the pair expects higher sales
volume for both practices this year,
despite the cooling market. “Our listings have quadrupled since pairing
up,” says Wemert. “Whereas in the
past we had individually reached our
limits at 40 transactions a year, now
there is no longer a ceiling in terms of
listing management.”
Sizing ‘em Up
Looking for help figuring out whether or not you’re hiring the right
person for the job? While gut instincts can be accurate, you may consider a more scientific method.
Rebekah Rivers, as broker–co-owner of Keller Williams Town and Country Realty in Tallahassee and
Jacksonville uses the principles laid out by the DISC
Profile (an assessment tool that helps you explore
a recruit’s personal styles, including his or her approach to home and work life, communication style
and motivation, and particular strengths) to size up
potential recruits and decide quickly which positions
would suit them best. The approximately 40-page test
is telling, says Rivers, who when hiring buyer’s agents
looks for high I’s and high D’s—scores that tell her they
are influencers and dominant personality types. Office
staff and tech types should score high S’s and C’s,
she says, who are steady, conscientious team players
Rivers
Better
Jenny Wemert (in black, center left) and George Philbeck
(in black, center right) and their team of real estate assistants.
photo by rey villavicencio
Advice from the Legal Eagle...
What Brokers
Need to Know
As a broker, the fact that sales
associates with your brokerage
hire assistants affects you too.
FAR attorneys advise you to
be aware of the following:
1
If a licensed assistant is going
to perform licensed real estate
activities, then the assistant’s real
estate license must be placed with
the broker/brokerage firm for whom
they are performing these activities.
2
If a licensed assistant is performing real estate work that
requires a license, then the compensation paid to the assistant in
connection with the licensed activity
must come from the broker/brokerage and not the sales associate or
broker associate for whom they are
acting as an assistant.
Concerns or questions? Call FAR’s
Legal Hotline at (407) 438-1409.
Calls are answered Monday through
Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please
have your real estate license number
available when you call.
who tend to be compliant and mindful
about details.
Listing specialists should be high I’s,
she says, who tend to be likable, yet
firm and able to get their points across
to sellers. “They need to be very forceful at listing appointments,” says Rivers,
who considers the DISC to be
an effective tool for sizing up job
candidates before hiring them. “It
tells me what the person is like,
and also the dos and don’ts of
dealing with them,” she says. “It’s
very insightful.”
More about DISC Profiles:
Used by many recruiters and
job placement professionals, DISC
provides insight into individual
styles that helps employers predict the likely future behaviors of
potential employees. Learn more
online at www.discprofile.com.
49
Better
Type 4: Going Virtual
A growing number of sales associates are finding virtual assistants to
be a good middle ground between
working solo and hiring full-time assistants who need desks, benefits and
steady paychecks. Working virtually
with the assistance of technology,
these independent contractors handle
myriad tasks for busy professionals,
including comparative market analysis development, virtual tour assembly
and posting, drip e-mail campaign
creation, e-mail inquiry filtering and
Web site maintenance.
“Literally anything can be done
from a distance,” says Michael Russer,
CEO of REVA Teams, a Pleasanton,
Calif.–based virtual assistant organization for the real estate industry, and
president of Russer Communications
in Santa Barbara, Calif. He says sales
Is It Time?
If you’re curious about whether a virtual assistant is right for you, check out
these clues, which might help you make the final decision:
• You need help on a per-project
basis that doesn’t warrant a fullor part-time staff member.
• You need more time to sell
property.
• You aren’t focusing on your core
competencies (sales, consultations,
investments, etc.).
• You have limited space available
in your office for additional staff
members.
• You’re totally overwhelmed in your
business and aren’t able to keep up
with the details.
• You’re willing to delegate and give
up some control over noncore tasks
to an off-site assistant.
• You’re a people person who doesn’t
like hanging around the office doing
paperwork.
Virtual assistants can handle myriad tasks
for busy professionals, including virtual tour
assembly and posting, drip e-mail campaign
creation, e-mail inquiry filtering and Web site
maintenance.
associates generally pay either $250 to
$350 per transaction or $25 to $45 per
hour, depending on the scope of the
project.
In Central Florida, Michele Sharrieff has been providing virtual transaction coordination services to real
estate professionals since 2003. As
president of Orlando-based Omni Support Services, Sharrieff says her firm
manages all contract details—from
purchase contract signing to closing
day. Fees are paid on a per-transaction
basis, and the coordinators themselves generally do not hold real estate
licenses.
Sharrieff says virtual assistants can
be invaluable for the sales associate
who doesn’t want to hire and manage
on-site employees, but who needs help
managing his or her workload. Because most documents can be faxed or
50
e-mailed, handling transaction management from afar is fairly seamless,
she says, and can be orchestrated by a
virtual assistant who is well versed in
the basics of transaction management.
And while Sharrieff’s firm specializes in that aspect of the business,
some virtual assistants offer basic
support services (phone answering, email monitoring, etc.) and others provide marketing coordination (preparing fliers and postcards, creating and
e-mailing online newsletters, etc.).
Sharrieff says Realtors with good
communication skills and the ability
to delegate tasks in a clear, succinct
manner tend to be the best match for a
virtual assistant. By the time the third
transaction rolls around, she says the
relationship begins to “gel” well, with
both parties becoming comfortable
with the process. “By that third sale,
• You’re a brand-new sales associate
who has experienced early success
and needs assistance, but is not
ready to hire full-time help.
• You don’t have the time to handle
all the necessary marketing tasks
that need to be done.
• You’re not technology oriented, and
would rather have someone else
handle responsibilities like updating
accounting software and creating
virtual tours.
• You know what needs to be done,
but you just don’t have time to do
it all.
• After months of training your
last on-site assistant, he or she
became your competitor.
everyone is on board and comfortable,” says Sharrieff. “After that, the
virtual assistant pretty much goes on
automatic.”
Covering All the Bases
For Gene and Rebekah Rivers, the
ability to delegate important tasks to
professionals who specialize in certain
areas of the transaction has been an
extremely effective business strategy. As
broker-owners of Keller Williams Town
and Country Realty in Tallahassee and
Jacksonville, Rebekah Rivers says, after
17 years in the real estate business,
they’re at the point where they no longer list and sell, but instead direct their
team to success.
For Rebekah Rivers, who runs the
209-agent Tallahassee office, that team
includes (Types 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10)
one team leader (who coordinates the
entire team and manages the office), five
buyer’s agents, two listing specialists,
one database manager/call coordinator
(who coordinates and manages inbound
and outbound contacts), a marketing
director (who handles the company’s
marketing efforts), a new-construction
listing coordinator (who works solely
Of the assistants, only the buyer’s agents, listing
coordinators and team leader are licensed, says brokerowner Rebekah Rivers. Compensation structures vary,
with administrative personnel working on salaries and
buyer’s agents operating on 50-50 commission splits.
on new-home listings), a resale listing
coordinator (works solely on resale
listings), a marketing assistant (who
supports and executes marketing activities), two closing coordinators and two
runners (who work with all the others,
delivering documents and transferring
pertinent files among the designated
parties). Among them, only the Riverses
and the buyer’s agents, listing coordinators and team leader are licensed.
Compensation structures vary, with
administrative personnel working on
salaries and buyer’s agents operating on
50-50 commission splits.
Rebekah Rivers, whose Tallahassee
office posted $70 million in property
sales last year, says she hired her first
assistant in 1990. That position slowly
split into two jobs, one centered on
closing and the other on listing. A
buyer’s agent soon followed, as did
several administrative personnel. “As
we got bigger and bigger, we had to
separate jobs and hire new employees
to fill them,” says Rivers. “It’s been
quite a process.”
To sales associates looking to hire
their first assistants or add to an existing team, Rivers says simply: Hire
slowly, and fire quickly. “Hiring out of
need is just not a good thing. Even if
you need immediate relief, you should
take your time with hiring and find
someone who truly fits your business.” She points to college students or
interns as good choices for those who
need help, but who may be apprehensive about the financial commitment
and training involved with hiring
employees.
“Even if you just hire a college
student to handle mundane tasks like
putting up signs, making fliers and
running around checking lockboxes,
you’ll be in good shape,” says Rivers.
“That $8 an hour that you pay that
person will be well worth it. Just look
at how much money you’ll save if you
don’t have to do all of those things.”
Bridget McCrea is Clearwater-based
freelance writer.
Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants can help you with a
variety of marketing and general tasks.
Here are a few to call:
1. Allie Milicevic, www.virtualresources.net, e-mail: info@virtualresources.
net, (321) 206-1277
2. Anna Baron, www.TheVirtualLink.
com, e-mail: [email protected],
(972) 359-9655
3. Jeri Winkler, www.secretassistant.
(315) 482-6819
4. Kim Hughes, www.KimHughes.
(903) 569-6763
5. Omni Support Services, Michele
Sharrieff, (407) 656-7519
6. Pro Step Marketing, Tricia Fink
Andreassen, e-mail [email protected], (866) 799-9888, ext. 81
7. REVA Teams, www.revateams.com,
e-mail: [email protected], (888)
842-3232, ext. 8000
8. The 24 Hour Secretary, Sharon
Williams, e-mail: [email protected], (410) 521-7001
7 Tips for Hiring a Helper
• Organize your goals and systems
first so you can easily decide what
type of help you need and can
train someone quickly to meet
your needs.
company who already knows about
real estate or at least someone who
knows real estate terms.
• Don’t hire someone just like you;
hire someone who balances your
weaknesses. You need someone
who can handle the part of the
business you don’t want to do.
• Consider an administrative assistant
who loves real estate but doesn’t
want to be a full-time Realtor. He or
she will be interested in the work, but
won’t use you to jump start his or her
career — however, that’s not always a
bad thing.
• Hire someone from inside your
brokerage or from another
• Once you find the right assistant, it’s
important to compensate that person
well and partner with him or her to
create loyalty.
• If you have more than one assistant, cross-train them so you won’t
be at a loss when someone leaves
or goes on vacation.
• If you’re not ready to take the step
to hire a part-time or full-time assistant, consider delegating some
services to a virtual assistant or to
a mailing company.
51
Better
2 0 0 7
The Real Estate Pro’s
R eal
David Knox Productions Inc
7300 Metro Blvd, Suite 120
Minneapolis MN 55439
800-822-4221 • 952-835-1878 FAX
www.davidknox.com
2007 Real Estate Industry Directory
Now there’s a one-stop directory of businesses who offer real estate
solutions and products for the real estate professional. Whether you want help marketing,
managing your business or upgrading your technology, you’ll find vendors in this directory
from around the nation whose mission is to satisfy your needs.
Keep this directory handy throughout the year. It’s your connection to an army of
industry-leading suppliers.
This directory is offered for information purposes only. The Florida Association of R ealtors ® does not endorse or recommend any of these companies unless otherwise noted.
Directory Index
Affiliated Organizations
& Associations.............................................52
Contract Preparation...................................52
Do-Not-Call Compliance..............................52
Education & Professional
Development...............................................52
Franchise....................................................53
Insurance....................................................54
Mortgage.....................................................54
Multiple Listing Service...............................54
Sales Promotion..........................................54
Home Guides...............................................55
Leads..........................................................55
Magazines...................................................55
Newspapers................................................56
Maps...........................................................56
Newsletters.................................................56
Postcards....................................................56
Premiums & Incentives................................56
Signs...........................................................57
Technology..................................................58
Women’s Council of Realtors® (WCR)
430 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL 60611
800-245-8512 • 312-329-3290 FAX
www.wcr.org
Contract Preparation
The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing
1409 S Lamar St Suite 215, Dallas TX 75215
214-485-3000 • 214-485-3310 FAX
www.luxuryhomemarketing.com
Forms On-Line Gold
800-668-8768
www.instanetforms.com
Gryphon Networks
249 Vanderbilt Ave, Norwood MA 02062
866-366-6822 • 781-255-7209 FAX
www.gryphonnetworks.com
Mike Ferry Organization
1100 Main St Irvine CA 92614
800-448-8423 • 949-852-0210 FAX
www.mikeferry.com
Formulator — Realigent, Inc
101 Academy, Suite 200
Irvine CA 92617
800-336-1027 • 949-777-2901
www.formulator.com
PossibleNOW
4375 River Green Pkwy, Suite 200
Duluth GA 30096
800-585-4888 • 770-255-1025 FAX
www.possiblenow.com
Pat Zaby Seminars & Systems
5023 Sea Pines Dr, Dallas TX 75287
972-407-1337 • 972-407-0780 FAX
www.patzaby.com
Realfast
P O Box 4700, Frisco CO 80443
800-571-0277 • 970-668-0268 FAX
www.realfast.com
Education & Professional
Development
Council of Residential Specialists (CRS)
800-462-8841 • 312-329-8882
www.crs.com
TrueForms
1880 Industrial Circle, Suite D
Longmont CO 80501
800-499-9612 • 303-774-7160 FAX
National Association of Realtors® (NAR)
800-874-6500 • 312-329-5960 FAX
www.realtor.org
ZipForm
PO Box 130, Fraser MI 48026
866-693-6767 • 586-790-7582 FAX
IFREC Real Estate Schools
5029 Edgewater Dr, Orlando FL 32810
888-647-7277 • 407-647-5227 FAX
www.IFREC.com
Jerry Bresser Institute
400 Maple Park Blvd, Suite 401
St Clair Shores MI 48081
586-776-8800 • 586-776-8900 FAX
www.jerrybresser.com
See display ad on Inside Front Cover
52
Hobbs/Herder Training
2240 University Dr, Suite 200
Newport Beach CA 92660
800-999-6090 • 949-515-5005 FAX
www.hobbsherdertraining.com
Contact Center Compliance Corp
350 E Street, Suite 300A
Santa Rosa CA 95404
866-362-5478 • 707-571-0271 FAX
www.dnc.com
Alta Star
7700 North Kendall Dr, Suite 612
Miami FL 33156
877-279-8898 • 305-279-7188 FAX
www.farforms.com
Affiliated Organizations
Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC)
800-648-6224 • 312-329-8632 FAX
www.rebac.net
Call Compliance
90 Pratt Oval
Glen Cove NY 11542
888-674-6774 • 513-676-2420 FAX
www.callcompliance.com
Ed Hatch Seminars
2012 Huntcliff Dr, Gambrills MD 21054
800-334-2824 • 410-451-8785 FAX
www.edhatch.com
See display ad on opposite page
See display ad on p. 10
Do-Not-Call Compliance
Call Command
11500 Northlake Dr, Suite 240
Cincinnati OH 45249
800-464-8500 • 513-792-9212 FAX
www.callcommand.com
Bert Rodgers Schools
1855 Porter Lake Dr
Sarasota FL 34240
800-432-0320 • 941-378-3883 FAX
www.bertrodgers.com
Buffini Systems
5770 Armada Dr, Carlsbad CA 92008
800-945-3485 • 760-476-9072 FAX
www.brianbuffini.com
Darryl Davis Seminars
4 Ring Neck Court, Wading River NY 11792
800-395-3905
www.darryldavis.com
Dave Beson Seminars
7200 W 78th St, Minneapolis MN 55439
800-242-3031 • 952-947-9110 FAX
www.davebeson.com
Richard Robbins International Inc
302 Town Centre Boulevard, Suite 400
Markham Ontario L3R 0E8 CANADA
800-298-9587 • 905-477-3684 FAX
www.richardrobbins.com
Roger Butcher
2851 Gold Tailings Ct
Rancho Cordova CA 95670
800-422-1462 • 916-340-0844
www.rogerbutcher.com
Star Power Systems
4772 Walnut St Suite 200, Boulder CO 80301
800-635-6750 • 303-449-4222 FAX
www.gostarpower.com
Thomson Learning
5191 Natorp Blvd, Mason OH 45040
800-543-0487 • 513-229-1020 FAX
www.thomsonedu.com
E state
I n dustry
Wally Conway Seminars
12708-2 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville FL 32223
800-270-9791 • 904-268-8213 FAX
www.wallyconway.com
Franchise
Amerivest Realty
10001 Tamiami Trl N, Naples FL 34108
800-966-4356 • 239-593-3121 FAX
www.amerivestrealty.com
Avalar Network Inc
6430 Medical Center St, Suite 100
Las Vegas NV 89148
877-895-8988 • 702-895-8998 FAX
www.avalar.biz
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Inc
5951 Cattleridge Ave, Sarasota FL 34232
888-937-6426 • 941-342-2990 FAX
www.floridamoves.com
Coral Shores Realty
2699 East Oakland Park Blvd
Fort Lauderdale FL 33306
866-476-1331 • 954-566-3288 FAX
www.coralshoresrealty.com
Crye-Leike Franchises Inc
5111 Maryland Way
Brentwood TN 37027-7513
866-603-2470 • 615-221-0445 FAX
www.crye-leike.com
EXIT Realty Corporation
2345 Argentia Rd, Suite 200
Mississauga Ontario L5N 8K4 CANADA
888-668-3948 • 905-363-4060 FAX
www.exitrealty.com
EXIT Realty Florida
701 Northpoint Pkwy, Suite 150
West Palm Beach FL 33407
800-305-2711 • 561-681-1433 FAX
www.exitrealtyflorida.com
Help-U-Sell Real Estate
900 West Castelton Rd, Suite 230
Castle Rock CO 80109
800-366-1177 • 303-814-3400 FAX
www.helpusell.com
directory
Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc
3333 Michelson Dr, Suite 1000
Irvine CA 92612
800-666-6634 • 949-794-7036 FAX
www.prudential.com
RE/MAX International Inc
8390 E Crescent Pkwy, Suite 600
Greenwood village CO 80111
800-525-7452 • 303-796-3599 FAX
www.remax.com
Real Living Inc
77 East Nationwide Blvd, Columbus OH 43215
866-438-7325 • 614-459-5417 FAX
www.realliving.com
Realogy Corporation
1 Campus Dr, Parsippany NJ 07054
973-407-2709 • 973-496-7188 FAX
www.realogy.com
Realty Executives International Inc
2398 E Camelback Rd, Suite 900
Phoenix AZ 85016
800-252-3366 • 602-224-5542 FAX
www.realtyexecutives.com
Realty World America Inc
1503 S Coast Dr, Suite 111
Costa Mesa CA 92626
800-685-4984 • 714-436-9010 FAX
www.realtyworld.com
Sellstate Realty Systems Network Inc
Fort Myers FL 33907
866-661-3847 • 239-437-0890 FAX
www.sellstate.com
Weichert Real Estate Affiliates Inc
225 Littleton Rd, Morris Plains NJ 07950
877-533-9007
www.weichertaffiliates.com
Keller Williams Realty International
807 Las Cimas Pkwy, Suite 200
Austin TX 78746
512-327-3070 • 512-328-1433 FAX
www.kellerwilliams.com
Prudential Florida WCI Realty
800-386-1554
www.prudentialfloridawci.com
53
Better
2 0 0 7
R eal
Insurance
Errors & Omissions
REO Advisors Inc
Coral Springs FL 33071
800-753-3557 • 800-228-5525 FAX
www.reoadvisors.com
E state
I n dustry
QuickMortgageLoan.com
999 Berkshire Blvd, Wyomissing PA 19610
800-650-4301 • 610-376-4223 FAX
www.quickmortgageloan.com
Rapattoni Corporation
98 W Cochran St, Simi Valley CA 93065
800-722-7338 • 805-520-9894 FAX
www.rapattoni.com
Washington Mutual
888-926-8536
www.wamuhomeloans.com
Real Edge Inc
446 S Anaheim Hills Rd, Suite 212
Anaheim CA 92807
800-848-3343 • 714-844-4811 FAX
www.realedge.com
Mortgage
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
800-869-3557
www.wellsfargo.com
American Home Mortgage
759 S Federal Hwy, Suite 219
Stuart FL 34994
772-781-2575 • 877-304-3100
www.americanhm.com
Bank of America
100 N Tryon St, Charlotte NC 28255
800-432-1000
www.bankofamerica.com
Chase Home Finance
800-873-6577
homeloan.chase.com
Countrywide Home Loans
4500 Park Granada, Calabasas CA 91302
800-556-9568
realtors.countrywide.com
E-Loan
6230 Stoneridge Mall Road
Pleasanton CA 94588
800-356-2622 • 925-847-0831 FAX
www.eloan.com
First Franklin Financial
2150 N First St, San Jose CA 95131
800-464-8203
www.ff.com
GMAC Mortgage
800-888-4622
ww.gmacmortgage.com
Genworth Financial
800-444-5664
homeopeners.gemortgageinsurance.com
NationPoint
25530 Commerce Centre Dr
Lake Forest CA 92630
800-770-4277 • 866-744-4970 FAX
www.nationpoint.com
Olde Marco Mortgage
144 Royal Palm Drive, Marco Island FL 34145
877-389-3501 • 239-642-9614 FAX
www.oldemarcomortgage.com
54
directory
Multiple Listing Service
1st Team Technology
548 Mary Esther Cut Off NW, Suite 258
Fort Walton Beach FL 32548
775-363-3263 • 775-361-5776 FAX
www.1st-team.com
Advanced Marketing Services Inc
1150 Hancock St, Suite 400
Quincy MA 02169
800-428-0004 • 617-769-0445
www.internetmls.com
RealGo Inc
2000 S College Ave, Suite 306
Fort Collins CO 80525
970-493-5177 • 970-484-3965 FAX
www.realgo.com
Showingtime
11 E Adams St, Suite 600
Chicago IL 60603
800-746-9464 • 312-222-9740 FAX
www.showingtime.com
2 0 0 7
R eal
Bizvine Printing Inc
2281 W 205th St, Suite 107 Torrance CA
90501
866-782-9888 • 310-782-9870 FAX
www.bizvineprinting.com
Colour Tech Marketing
356 Sonwil Dr, Buffalo NY 14225
800-939-2520 • 716-206-0477 FAX
www.colourtechusa.com
Direct Color Inc
3120 W 84 St Unit 6, Hialeah FL 33018
800-545-6698 • 305-819-3879 FAX
www.direct-color.com
Discounted Printing
20115 Corporate Drive
Boynton Beach FL 33426
561-740-7399 • 561-740-9783 FAX
www.discountedprinting.com
Solid Earth Geographics
109-B N Jefferson St, Huntsville AL 35801
800-335-0228 • 509-461-0413 FAX
www.solidearth.com
DPI, Digital Printers International
16200 NE 13th Ave
North Miami Beach FL 33162
877-774-6847 • 305-947-7695 FAX
www.dpibizcards.com
ARIS Inc
124 N Main St Suite C, Berlin MD 21811
888-657-2747
www.arismls.com
Stratus Data Systems
400 Columbus Ave, Valhalla NY 10595
800-822-2588 • 914-747-3582 FAX
www.stratusdata.com
expresscopy.com
6623 NE 59th Place, Portland OR 97218
866-397-2679 • 503-234-5562 FAX
www.pulsemailing.com
dynaConnections Corp
1101 S Capital of Texas Highway
Suite 130-H, Austin TX 78746
866-306-9898 • 512-306-9869
www.dynaconnections.com
Systems Engineering Inc
P O Box 8709, Greensboro NC 27419
800-367-8756 • 336-664-0023 FAX
www.seisystems.com
Harris Printers
3320 W Vernon Avenue
Phoenix AZ 85009
800-258-7746 • 800-316-2379 FAX
www.harrisprinters.com
EZList – MLS Systems Real Estate
Technologies Inc
18215 Paulson Dr, Port Charlotte FL 33954
866-472-6600 • 218-844-5332 FAX
www.ezlistmls.com
Fidelity MLS Systems & Solutions
17300 W 119th St, Olathe KS 66061
800-468-6221 • 913-693-0020 FAX
www.fidelitymlsolutions.com
MostHome Technologies Corporation
Unit 1 -11491 Kingston St
Maple Ridge, British Columbia V2X 0Y6
CANADA
800-347-4701 • 604-460-7681 FAX
www.mosthomewireless.com
Offutt Systems Inc
405 Pomona Dr, Greensboro NC 27407
800-334-0831 • 336-547-2723 FAX
www.getoffutt.com
Promatch Inc
2251 Arbor Blvd, Dayton OH 45401
877-299-0185 • 937-299-3520 FAX
www.promatchinc.com
Tarasoft Corporation
206-2537 Beacon Ave
Sidney, British Columbia V8L 1Y3 CANADA
800-899-8470 • 250-656-4988 FAX
www.tarasoft.com
Threewide Corporation
709 Beechurst Ave, Suite 1B
Morgantown WV 26505
877-847-3394 • 304-296-9433 FAX
www.threewide.com
Sales Promotion
Business Cards
Aardvark Labels
8964 Excelsior Blvd E, Hopkins MN 55343
800-553-2856 • 952-894-5271 FAX
www.aardvarklabels.com
Beyondee Corporation
2730 Monterey St, Suite 107
Torrance CA 90503
877-333-9988 • 310-212-5990 FAX
www.beyondee.com
Lifestyle Media USA Inc
131 Dummer St, Suite C
Brookline MA 02446
877-314-1889 • 416-977-5365 FAX
www.realestate.lifestylemedia.ca
The Personal Marketing Company
11843 W 83rd Terrace, Lenexa KS 66214
800-458-8245 • 800-234-9423 FAX
www.tpmco.com
Power Broker Printing
1498 NW 3rd St, Deerfield Beach FL 33442
888-453-4820 • 954-247-0084 FAX
www.powerbrokerprinting.com
Calendars
Beach House Logos
PO Box 204, Pittstown NJ 08867
866-232-2402 • 908-713-0945 FAX
www.beachhouselogos.com
Direct Color Inc
3120 W 84 St Unit 6, Miami FL 33018
800-545-6698 • 305-819-3879 FAX
E state
I n dustry
Magnetic Attractions
2700 Angier Ave, Durham NC 27703
800-421-3251 • 866-339-3996 FAX
www.magneticattractions.com
Magnets USA
817 Connecticut Ave NE, Roanoke VA 24012
800-869-7562 • 800-788-6872 FAX
www.magnetsusa.com
Magnetstreet
4325 Pheasant Ridge Dr, Suite 602
Blaine MN 55449
800-788-8633 • 763-786-9393 FAX
www.magnetstreet.com
Melco Marketing Inc
PO Box 1578, Manassas VA 20108
800-854-8669 • 703-369-0492 FAX
www.melcocalendars.com
Sellsmart
3400 E McDowell Rd, Phoenix AZ 85008
800-522-0852 • 866-914-4262 FAX
www.sellsmart.com
Superior Real Estate Supply
20805 N 19th Ave Suite 11, Phoenix AZ 85027
800-234-0095 • 623-516-9209 FAX
www.erealtysupply.com
Teldon Print Media
925 Boblett Street Unit B, Blaine WA 98230
866-280-9347 • 800-983-5366 FAX
www.teldon.com
Closing Gifts
The CD Guys
566 Mainstream Dr, Suite 500
Nashville TN 37228
888-448-6410 • 888-448-4393 FAX
www.thecdguys.com
Hickory Furniture Mart
2220 Hwy 70 SE, Hickory NC 28602
800-462-6278 • 828-322-1132 FAX
www.hickoryfurniture.com
directory
Ross-Smith Premium Pecans
800-841-5503 • 229-859-2382
www.ross-smith-pecans.com
Home Guides
Adwriter Inc
165 E Washington Row, Suite 312
Sandusky OK 44870
800-646-7323 • 419-621-2134 FAX
www.adwriter.com
Harmon Homes
888-638-8713
www.harmonhomes.com
www.usahomes.org
The Real Estate Book
2305 Newpoint Pkwy, Lawrenceville GA 30043
800-643-1174 • 770-822-4313 FAX
www.realestatebook.com
See display ad on Back Cover
Leads
Lead Conversion
Home Hub Connect
Adigida Solutions, 401 N 3rd St, Suite 601
Minneapolis MN 55401
866-234-4432 • 612-341-0768 FAX
www.adigida.com
Lead Generation
Rainmaker Lead System
Gooder Group, 2724 Dorr Avenue
Fairfax VA 22031
703-698-7750 ext 1476 • 703-698-8597 FAX
www.goodergroup.com/1476
Magazines
Dupont Registry
3051 Tech Dr, St Petersburg FL 33716
800-233-1731 • 727-572-5523 FAX
www.dupontregistry.com
Creature Comforts Toys Inc
203-2428 King George Highway
Surrey, British Columbia V4P 1H5 CANADA
888-228-5001 • 888-228-4888 FAX
www.cctoyscustom.com
Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse
1000 Lowes Blvd, Mooresville NC 28117
888-913-6060
www.lowes.com
Perfect Closing Gift
567 Camino Mercado, Suite A
Arroyo Grande CA 93420
800-782-6790 • 805-474-1238 FAX
www.perfectclosinggift.com
55
Better
2 0 0 7
R eal
Estates West Magazine
8132 N 87th Place, Scottsdale AZ 85258
480-460-5203 • 480-460-2345 FAX
www.estateswest.com
Florida Realtor Magazine
7025 Augusta National Dr, Orlando FL 32822
407-438-1400 • 407-438-1411 FAX
www.floridarealtormagazine.com
HistoricProperties.com
2523 Grove Ave, Richmond VA 23220
888-507-0501
www.historicproperties.com
Home By Design Magazine
11626 N Tracey Rd, Hayden ID 83835
877-423-4567 • 208-772-8061 FAX
www.homebydesign.com
Homes & Land Magazine
1830 E Park Ave, Tallahassee FL 32301
800-458-9520 • 850-575-9567 FAX
www.homesandland.com
Preservation Magazine
1785 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington DC 20036
800-944-6847 • 202-588-6172 FAX
www.preservationonline.org
Unique Homes Magazine
720 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 205
Santa Monica CA 90401
800-732-4092 • 310-393-4804 FAX
www.uniquehomes.com
Newspapers
The New York Times Company
229 W 43rd St, New York NY 10036
212-556-7777 • 212-556-7787 FAX
www.nytimes.com
The Wall Street Journal
1155 Ave of the Americas, New York NY 10036
800-366-3975 • 212-597-5744 FAX
www.realestatejournal.com
Maps
Dolph Map Company
800-877-3649 • 954-763-3518 FAX
www.dolphmap.com
iMapp Inc
5660 W Cypress St, Suite H
Tampa FL 33607
888-462-7701 • 813-289-3035 FAX
www.imapp.com
56
E state
I n dustry
Moving Services
Two Men And A Truck
Call the location nearest you
www.twomenandatruck.com
directory
Colour Tech Marketing
356 Sonwil Dr, Buffalo NY 14225
800-939-2520 • 716-206-0477 FAX
www.colourtechusa.com
Newsletters
Direct Color Inc
3120 W 84 St Unit 6, Miami FL 33018
800-545-6698 • 305-819-3879 FAX
Custom House Publishers
6797 N High St Suite 213
Worthington OH 43085
888-493-7059 • 614-431-3324 FAX
www.customhousepublishers.com
16200 NE 13th Ave
877-774-6847 • 305-947-7695 FAX
www.dpibizcards.com
16200 NE 13th Ave
877-774-6847 • 305-947-7695 FAX
www.dpibizcards.com
expresscopy.com
6623 NE 59th Place, Portland OR 97218
866-397-2679 • 503-234-5562 FAX
www.pulsemailing.com
Gooder Group
2724 Dorr Ave Suite 103, Fairfax VA 22150
703-698-7750 • 703-698-8597 FAX
www.goodergroup.com
Harris Printers
3320 W Vernon Avenue
Phoenix AZ 85009
800-258-7746 • 800-316-2379 FAX
www.harrisprinters.com
Nostalgic America Inc
100 E King St, Edenton NC 27932
888-212-0207 • 800-214-2434 FAX
www.nostalgicamerica.com
Lentz Design Postcards
21605 Tiffany Court, Kildeer IL 60047
800-773-0095
www.lentzdesign.com
Planner Systems
320 108th Ave NE, Suite 520
Bellevue WA 98004
800-752-6448 • 800-243-1390 FAX
www.plannersystems.com
The Personal Marketing Company
11843 W 83rd Terrace, Lenexa KS 66214
800-458-8245 • 800-234-9423 FAX
www.tpmco.com
2 0 0 7
R eal
The CD Guys
566 Mainstream Dr, Suite 500
Nashville TN 37228
888-448-6410 • 888-448-4393 FAX
www.thecdguys.com
9/18/06
3:34 PM
I n dustry
Page 1
directory
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Magnetic Attractions
2700 Angier Ave, Durham NC 27703
800-421-3251 • 919-598-3996 FAX
www.magneticattractions.com
Sutter’s Mill Specialties
2249 W Fairmont Dr Suite 2, Tempe AZ 85282
800-824-0594 • 602-437-5551 FAX
www.suttersmill.com
Signs
1-800-THE-SIGN
2381 Griffin Rd, Fort Lauderdale FL 33312
800-843-7446 • 954-989-9099 FAX
www.1800thesign.com
Aztec Marking Company
601 Wilbeck Dr, South Hutchinson KS 67505
800-835-2548 • 800-321-7265 FAX
www.aztecsigns.com
Britt Kennedy Signs Inc
100 E Chestnut St, Amite LA 70422
800-535-5680 • 985-718-6246 FAX
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Dee Sign Company
6163 Allen Rd, West Chester OH 45069
800-333-7446 • 513-779-3344 FAX
www.deesigncompany.com
888-453-4820 • 954-247-0084 FAX
Planner Systems
320 108th Ave NE, Suite 520
Bellevue WA 98004
800-752-6448 • 800-243-1390 FAX
www.plannersystems.com
Resulti.com
13750 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 206
Sherman Oaks CA 91423
www.resulti.com
Postcards 4 You
6 East Main St, Wentzville MO 63385
888-458-3400 • 636-639-3002 FAX
www.postcards4you.com
Lowen Sign Company
1302 N Grand St, Hutchinson KS 67501
800-545-5505 • 800-846-4466 FAX
www.lowensign.com
Sellsmart
3400 E McDowell Rd, Phoenix AZ 85008
800-522-0852 • 800-522-8329 FAX
www.sellsmart.com
888-453-4820 • 954-247-0084 FAX
Oakley Signs & Graphics
3497 All American Blvd, Orlando FL 32810
800-373-5330 • 407-581-2148 FAX
www.oakleysign.com
TrueWire
1880 Industrial Circle, Suite D
Longmont CO 80501
800-499-9612 • 303-774-7160 FAX
www.truewire.com
QuantumMail.com
P O Box 140825, Austin TX 78714
800-637-7373 • 512-837-2777 FAX
www.quantummail.com
Reichert’s Signs Inc
150 E Stevens Ave, Santa Ana CA 92707
800-513-9199 • 714-513-9192 FAX
www.rsisigns.com
Premiums & Incentives
Postcards
Beach House Logos
PO Box 204, Pittstown NJ 08867
866-232-2402 • 908-713-0945 FAX
www.beachhouselogos.com
Superior Real Estate Supply
20805 N 19th Ave Suite 11, Phoenix AZ 85027
800-234-0095 • 623-516-9209 FAX
www.erealtysupply.com
Beyondee Corporation
2730 Monterey St, Suite 107
Torrance CA 90503
877-333-9988 • 310-212-5990 FAX
www.beyondee.com
RB360_SQ.qxd
E state
Excel Sign & Decal
1485 N Milpitas Blvd, Milpitas CA 95035
800-747-0445 • 408-942-6928 FAX
www.excelteam.net
57
Better
2 0 0 7
R eal
Technology
E state
I n dustry
directory
Real Edge Inc
446 S Anaheim Hills Rd Suite 212
Anaheim CA 92807
800-848-3343 • 714-844-4811 FAX
www.realedge.com
VisualTour.com
10235 West Sample Road, Suite 200
Coral Springs FL 33065
800-873-0700 • 954-345-9703 FAX
www.visualtour.com
Multimedia
Transaction Management
Gateway
7565 Irvine Center Dr, Irvine CA 92618
888-888-1094
www.gateway.com
Floorplanonline SM
P O Box 1782, Issaquah WA 98027
866-810-3816 • 206-260-3155 FAX
www.floorplanonline.net
TransactionDesk
1105 Lorrain Street Austin TX 78703
800-668-8768 • 800-533-2230 FAX
www.transactiondesk.com
Hewlett-Packard
3000 Hanover St, Palo Alto CA 94304
800-888-8177
www.hp.com/go/realestate
Imprev Inc
P O Box 53346, Bellevue WA 98015
800-809-3356 • 425-458-4801 FAX
www.imprev.com
Lenovo
9229 Delegates Row, Indianapolis IN 46240
800-426-7235 ext 3887
www.ibm.com/businesscenter/nar
RealtyComposer
269 Mt Hermon Rd Suite 200
Scotts Valley CA 95066
831-440-9044 • 831-440-9050 FAX
www.realtycomposer.com
Computer Hardware
Dell Inc
One Dell Way, Round Rock TX 78682
877-648-3355
www.dell.com
Office Depot
2200 Old Germantown Rd
Delray Beach FL 33445
800-463-3768 • 800-685-5010 FAX
www.officedepot.com
Mapping
Aerials Express LLC
7855 S River Pkwy Suite 205
Tempe AZ 85284
888-482-2336 • 480-777-9966 FAX
www.aerials-express.com
AirphotoUSA
7122 N 27th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85051
866-278-2378 • 602-864-3420 FAX
www.airphotousa.com
Dolph Map Company
430 North Federal Hwy
800-877-3649 • 954-763-3518 FAX
www.dolphmap.com
Lifestyle Media Inc
131 Dummer St Suite C
Brookline MA 02446
877-314-1889 • 416-977-5365 FAX
www.realestate.lifestylemedia.ca
Training
REIS Innovations Technology Training
Real Estate Industry Solutions LLC
c/o Florida Association of Realtors®
7025 Augusta National Dr, Orlando FL 32822
888-784-5404
www.reisinnovations.com
Virtual Tours
CirclePix.com
1159 South 800 East, Orem UT 84097
877-390-6630 • 801-818-2749 FAX
www.circlepix.com
Geojet E-Mapping
910 7th Ave SW, Suite 740
Calgary Alberta T2P 3N8 CANADA
866-243-6538 • 403-262-7861 FAX
www.e-mapping.com
Obeo
57 West 200 South, Suite 550
Salt Lake City UT 84101
800-729-6236 • 801-524-9848 FAX
www.360house.com
iMapp Inc
5660 W Cypress St Suite H, Tampa FL 33607
888-462-7701 • 813-289-3035 FAX
www.imapp.com
RealBiz360
14175 W Indian School Road Suite B4-613
Goodyear AZ 85338
888-732-5249 • 888-276-4494 FAX
www.realbiz360.com
Mapmuse Inc
1326 14th St NW, Washington DC 20005
202-387-3857 • 202-387-3245 FAX
www.mapmuse.com
Offutt Systems Inc
405 Pomona Dr, Greensboro NC 27407
800-334-0831 • 336-547-2723 FAX
www.getoffutt.com
58
Real Tour Vision
160 E State St, Suite 103
Traverse City MI 49684
866-947-8687 • 231-947-4248 FAX
www.realtourvision.com
Web Sites
a la mode
800-252-6633
www.alamode.com
See display ad on p. 16 & 17
Advanced Access
8101 East Kaiser Blvd, Suite 300
Anaheim CA 92808
800-902-4653 • 714-923-1950 FAX
www.advancedaccess.com
See display ad on Inside Back Cover
CyberSunshine Inc
12811 Kenwood Ln, Suite 105
Fort Myers FL 33907
239-949-0012 • 614-573-7180 FAX
www.cybersunshine.com
EasyRealtySites.com
4414 NW 69th St
Gainesville FL 32606
888-693-2797 ext 801 • 888-693-2797
www.easyrealtysites.com
Homes.com
866-500-857 • 866-600-5857 FAX
www.homes.com
iHouse Web Solutions
2030 Franklin St, Suite 500
Oakland CA 94612
866-645-7702 • 530-753-7033 FAX
wwwihouseweb.com
Myers Internet
2160 Lundy Avenue, Suite 128
San Jose CA 95131
800-693-7730 • 408-425-9961 FAX
www.myers.com
Pullan Communications
10680 West Pico Blvd, Suite 250
Los Angeles CA 90064
866-578-5526 • 310-945-2029 FAX
www.pullan.com
advertisers
index of
Successful Realtors® know that using the right
tools can make all the difference in enhancing
productivity and achieving sales success. When
looking for products and services consider
contacting the advertisers listed below. When
contacting these companies, let them know you
found them in The Real Estate Solutions Guide.
Advertiser
Telephone
Internet
Page No.
a la mode Inc............................................................800-252-6633.......................................www.alamode.com........................................................ 16, 17
Advanced Access......................................................800-335-1563.......................................www.AdvancedAccess.com..........................Inside Back Cover
American Home Mortgage........................................Call the location nearest you...................www.americanhm.com........................................................ 11
Homes.com..............................................................866-500-5857.......................................www.homes.com................................................................ 12
Keller Williams..........................................................727-216-8232.......................................www.kwopportunity.com..................................................... 13
Olde Marco Mortgage...............................................877-389-3501.......................................www.IncreaseYourFairShare.com ....................................... 33
RE/MAX....................................................................407-829-7303.......................................www.remax-florida.com........................................................ 5
RealBiz360.............................................................................................................................www.realbiz360.com........................................................... 57
Realfast....................................................................800-571-0277.......................................www.realfast.com....................................... Inside Front Cover
Realty Executives......................................................888-540-5300.......................................www.realtyexecutives.com.................................................. 45
Realty World.............................................................800-839-0708.......................................www.RWAGroupInc.com...................................................... 39
REO Advisors Inc.......................................................800-753-3557.......................................www.reoadvisors.com......................................................... 57
Sellstate Realty Systems Network.............................866-661-3847.......................................www.sellstate.com.............................................................. 25
Technology Training..................................................888-784-5404.......................................www.reisinnovations.com.................................................... 23
The Real Estate Book................................................800-643-1174.......................................www.RealEstateBook.com......................................Back Cover
Transaction Desk......................................................800-668-8768.......................................www.transactiondesk.com.................................................. 31
TrueForms................................................................800-499-9612.......................................www.TrueForms.com........................................................... 53
TrueWire...................................................................800-499-9612.......................................www.TrueWire.com............................................................. 55
Two Men And A Truck................................................Call the location nearest you...................www.twomenandatruck.com............................................... 44
Washington Mutual...................................................888-926-8536.......................................www.WaMuHomeLoans.com................................................. 1
ZipForm....................................................................866-627-4729.......................................www.zipform.com/brokers.................................................. 10
For more information on advertising, please call Joseph Bono at (407) 438-1400, ext. 2327
Broker Challenges
(continued from page 45)
various online sources. Introduced in
January 2005, the National Association of R ealtors’ Messenger service
(which is free to members) uses
voice synthesis to convert consumer
queries received from real estate Web
sites into voice messages, which are
then sent to a subscribing member’s
cell phone based on geographic information. NAR members may download the software at no charge.
Other options include Most Home
Corp.’s ClientBuilder, which helps
brokers attract more traffic to their Web
sites, then tracks the leads generated
from the time of capture up until closing; Wolfnet Technologies’ lead-management and -tracking system; BirdView’s
BirdTalk centralized lead-management
platform; Reply! Inc.’s lead-validation
program (which reviews, qualifies and
validates all leads); and Katabat’s leadgeneration, lead-management and Web
site solutions.
Challenge 8: Manage the
transaction online.
Online transaction-management
systems are electronic applications accessed through the Internet that help
brokers and sales associates manage
the information and communications
that comprise a real estate transaction. Such systems were defined in a
2005 Clareity report on the state of
the transaction-management industry
as “an online platform and tool that
supports (the following) basic functions as they relate to residential real
estate brokerage transactions:
• task to-do tracking and
management,
• digital document management,
• participant setup and security,
• communication, notification
and logging,
• service ordering and
• t ransaction management
(searching and reporting).”
Brokers and sales associates have
been watching these systems for some
time, but many have been reluctant
to implement them if only because
transaction-management companies
have been frantically trying to integrate title companies, MLS systems,
back-end accounting and other
functions into the programs. It’s
all starting to come together. “2005
was pretty instrumental in that a lot
of the moving parts of the transaction have started to come together,”
says Mike Lancaster, executive vice
president of sales/client management for First American Residential
Group in Irvine, Calif. “Integration is
happening with back-end accounting
systems and front-end lead-management systems. If you look back five or
six years ago, it seemed like it would
be an easy thing to bring to adoption,
but it’s been a slow evolution.”
Despite these tough challenges,
Murray is optimistic about the future.
“There are opportunities for brokers,”
he says. “I believe the best days of
the industry are still ahead of us, not
behind us.”
G.M. Filisko is a Chicago-based freelance writer.
59
You...
a project in the garage. She dutifully
went room to room exploring all doors.
When she opened what she thought
was a linen closet at the end of the
hallway, they saw the owners’ college-age son sitting stark naked on a
toilet reading a magazine. “Everyone
yelled at one time, including the young
man,” says Trinque. “You never saw
anyone close a door so fast!”
Laugh-Out-Loud Tales
illustration by james shepherd
Ready for a chuckle? Showings can be unpredictable
and entertaining, as these tales from Florida sales
associates reveal.
Coming Unhinged
Pete McGlade’s sellers left town
for the week, and friends were living aboard a boat tied at their Key
Largo home’s dock. When McGlade,
with RE/MAX Tropical Realty in
Key Largo, arrived with buyers, he
left them at the front door and went
around back. “As I rounded the house,
I saw a woman lounging on a folding
beach chair,” he says. “I called out
to her. She didn’t respond, [but] as I
got closer, I could see she was wearing MP2 player headphones.” After
spotting McGlade, the startled woman
tried to jump up. “I could see she was
wearing only a bikini bottom,” says
McGlade.
The folding chair partially collapsed, tangling her long blond hair
in the hinges and causing her to fall
back into a position where she was
unable to untangle her hair, pull her
60
body up out of the chair or rip off the
headphones. She covered her torso
with her hands, slumped back into the
half-folded chair, laughing, and asked
for help. “It took us a minute or so
to get her hair out of the hinges and
unfold the chair so she could roll out
of it,” laughs McGlade.
Her husband, who was on the
boat, missed the entire incident. “As
I finished showing the property, her
husband came off the boat and asked
if I had seen his wife,” says McGlade.
“I answered, ‘Yes, as a matter of fact
I have.’”
Screaming Linens
Ana Trinque, a broker-associate
with RE/MAX Showcase in Brooksville, showed her buyer a house while
the owners were home. The wife let
them in while the husband worked on
Breathtaking Showing
Jamie DiSalvatore, a sales associate
with Realty Executives in Orlando,
always arrives prepared for anything,
but one recent showing gave her the
shock of her life.
While touring listings with an investor, DiSalvatore stopped at a downtown property that looked promising.
DiSalvatore looked around the lower
level while the buyer checked upstairs.
Suddenly, the buyer yelled that there
was a dead man in a room!
Stunned and breathless from vaulting up the stairs, DiSalvatore peeked
in the room, walked over to the man
and put her hand on his chest. He was
breathing!
“He never woke up,” says DiSalvatore. “We tiptoed out of the room and
left the house in a hurry!”
A Broken Tale
It’s a floor-time daydream—a couple
walked in, Joan Crothers (now a sales
associate with Wilson Realty in North
Redington Beach) took them to her
listing (in Pennsylvania, where she
lived and worked at the time), and
they wrote a contract on site.
As though still dreaming, she
“proceeded down an inclined driveway, turned to shake hands with the
buyers and fell flat on my posterior,”
says Crothers, who deduced that fresh
sleet had formed a sheet of black ice
on the driveway. “When paramedics
placed me in the ambulance, I insisted they put my briefcase right by my
side,” she says.
Diagnosed with a broken tailbone,
Crothers got a hospital nurse to dial
the seller’s number, and the seller
came to the hospital to sign the purchase agreement. “I then called my
broker to let her know I truly ‘broke
my butt’ on the sale!”

W E C A N H E L P - Florida Realtors

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