Do you provide value to your client?

I think this is going to be one of my favorite posts.  My reasons for writing this post come from a recent interaction one of my agents had with his client.  This client was a young, first time home buyer.  My agent had shown him 20 homes or so, and the buyer just hadn't gotten off the fence.  Then the buyer asks my agent one day, "what exactly do you do for me?"  He asked it in in an almost indignant tone.  Now after my agent took a long deep breath and put a smile on his face, he answered the buyer.  Now my agent did a great job explaining just what he did to provide a service for his client.  He hit on many of the things I am going to discuss today.  I wanted to write this blog to help you agents out there that may not know all the work that you do in a given transaction or don't know how to explain it.

I want to reference a document from the Orlando Association of Realtors, The Realtor's Critical Role in the Real Estate Transaction.  This is a document that lists 184 actions, steps, processes, and stages in a successful real estate transactions.  These are steps usually taken by a full service real estate brokerage in which they would be entitled to fair compensation.  The reason this list was prepared was the fact that surveys showed that many homeowners and homebuyers were not aware of the true value a Realtor provides during the course of a real estate transaction.  A prime example of this feeling is shown above by my agent's buyer.

There are 184 steps on this list, so I won't be going through all of them in this post.  But I absolutely encourage you to read the document.  Know each of these steps so well that you could state them the moment the question of your value is posed to you.  I would even put the list in my listing or buyer presentations to show your client why they should hire you. 

Here is a breakdown of the list to give you an idea of why you should read it:

• Pre-Lising activities that include anything from searching for comparables to searching public records for deed restrictions and zoning.
• Listing appointment presentation that includes things activities like discussing the sellers goals and presenting a strategic marketing plan.
• Once a property is under a listing agreement an agent will have to take steps to market the property such as measure the home and room dimensions, take photographs and/or video and compiling a list of completed repairs and maintenance items.
• Entering a property into an MLS system and syndicating that data to other websites.
• Processes included in marketing the property include creating print and Internet ads, installing a lockbox and sign, and designing and printing flyers and brochures.
• During the offer and contract, an agent with take steps that include preparation and conveyance of counteroffers as well as confirmation buyer's ability to purchase.
• The agent will also have to track the buyer's loan process, work through the inspection period, and work through any appraisal issues.
• Activities to set up the closing scheduling the closing with an attorney or title company, and getting all parties the information they need in a timely manner.
• And as always and most importantly comes the post closing follow up.

There is no doubt that a good real estate agent is well worth their fee and is a valuable resource for any buyer or seller.  Hopefully this will help you to convey that to your clients!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

FM Durham Tech Bytes: SocialCam for Real Estate Agents

I want to introduce an awesome new app for you. It is like the offspring of Pinterest and Youtube, Instagram for video! It is going to make video blogging so easy!  The new app I am talking about is Socialcam. SocialCam is a fantastic app for capturing video content. A great example of it in use is the video below by Fonville Morisey Realty's Digital Media Marketing Director, Lisa Sullivan.

  

Lisa just recorded the video on her iPhone app, and SocialCam automatically uploaded the video to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and I later embedded the YouTube video in this blog.  But you don’t even need to embed the video in your blog — just taking lots of videos using SocialCam on your phone is a great start.  It will give you content that you can use later.

As a real estate agent, there are so many great ways for SocialCam to give you exposure to your and your clients' friends and followers on social networks.  I believe this will be one of the better brand building tools we will have at our disposal.  How you can use SocialCam as a real estate agent: 

• Do a video with a client about any real estate related topic (maybe a testimonial, for example) and then have your client post the video post to their Facebook wall and Twitter stream, using them as a ‘hook’ to vouch for you. 
• When you are in the car going to see a client, take a SocialCam video of what you’re up to. 
• Capture a video of your buyer or seller standing in front of their new home or the home they just sold and discussing the transaction and how happy they are.
• Use it as your video blog and blog about an HOA, foreclosures, short sales, dog parks, luxury homes, and more, while never needing to actually write anything.
• Use it to create a video tour of your listing.
• Use it to create a video of homes you are previewing for out of town clients to help narrow down their home search before they arrive.

There is just so much you can do with this application.  SocialCam is available for iPhone and Android phones.  It also has a web application.  The best part is, it's FREE!  Now start shooting that video and sharing it with the world!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

FM Durham Chalk Talk: Julian Jahoo

This is going to be a new segment of our blog where we discuss various topics related to the real estate industry with a SUPERSTAR real estate agent.  We will bring these videos to you periodically and hope to provide you with an idea of what is going on in the market and how to be more successful as a real estate agent.

This week we are going to talk with Julian Jahoo.  First and foremost, Julian is a wonderful husband and father to his wife and two children, and an all around great guy to know!  But Julian is also a SUPERSTAR agent in our office.  He is fully engaged in all aspects of our market and a wealth of knowledge to those around him.  Please watch the video below and see what Julian has to say. 



Big thanks to Julian for sharing.  And stay tuned for more great videos from SUPERSTAR real estate agents coming soon!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

Fonville Morisey Durham Tech Bytes: MagicPlan 2.0

Ever notice how some listing agents seem to always have every piece of documentation needed to market a home.  Some material that you just can't seem to find the time or have the"know how" to do?  For example, some listing agents always have the floor plan to their listing in their marketing material.  Some of you feel that you don't have the time to do this.  Others feel that you don't have the technology or "know how" to do this.  Well, I'm here to tell you just how easy it is.

Try MagicPlan 2.0!  It is an app for your iPhone, iPad or Android device.  If you have ever needed to draft a quick floor plan of a house, but didn’t have the tools to do so?  Or you are looking to impress a seller? Well look no further. This app allows you to properly measure rooms, doorways, and corners to formulate an actual floor plan for the home of your choice.

After completing the quick tutorials, your phone does the rest: measuring lengths of walls, depths of corners, and assembling the entire floor plan. All you have to do is point and click on the corners, and you’re all set!  It also has social media functions that allow you to share the floor plans via Facebook and Twitter.  The best part? It’s FREE! 

Here is a list of what MagicPlan can do:

• Measures walls and doors
• Identifies the shape of the rooms
• Draws the floor plan of each room
• Aligns rooms
• Manages wall thickness
• Ensures door coherence
• Geo-localizes your house
• Attaches a picture to each room
• Integrates your furniture
• Generates JPEG, PDF & DXF files
• Publishes an interactive floor plan

What an incredible tool for you to use as a real estate agent.  Download the app and get to work now!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

Ignite Your Business Part 3: Time for a Recommendation

This is the last part of our 3 part system for agents looking to get a quick jump start on their business and to ignite a little buzz over a 30 day period. Again, we are going to need your contact management system in order, and grouped into your A's, B's and C's.

In the last part, we are going to work on giving people recommendations. But not just any old recommendation.  The first step is to join LinkedIn, if you haven’t already.  Then I want you to search for people you have worked with, either in real estate, or in some other capacity.

Next, I want you to recommend them.  Say something positive and unique about that person.  Speaking of their uniqueness is key. Focus on something about that person that makes them stand out above all others. You want to give the kind of recommendation that makes someone message you and tell you how you just made their day or their week.  If you need help learning to right a good recommendation, click here.

This is a really easy task and won't take more than 10 to 15 minutes of your time.  I want you to give one recommendation a day for the next 30 days.  By doing this, you have hopefully made 30 people happy, and if you are lucky, you will get 30 recommendations of your own.  Even if that doesn't happen, even if you only got 10, that is better than none.

Social media is out there to help you. And it’s perfect for what you want to do–generate leads. Where else can you have access to millions of people in the matter of a few clicks?

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

FM Durham Tech Bytes: Open Home Pro

 Our company has an upcoming Open House Event.  This event is a big company-wide push to have open houses on our listings during the next 3 months, our peak real estate months.  The first event is in conjunction with the National Association of Realtors Nationwide Open House Weekend  on April 28th and 29th. 

With this event in mind, I want to discuss an incredible iPad application called Open Home Pro.  Open Home Pro offers you a beautiful way to collect information about potential clients that visit your open homes. Within seconds you or your potential client can input their name, email address, number of bedrooms they are seeking and more. Not only does Open Home Pro save all of the data in it’s address book (that you can export into a .csv file), but it also emails every client that gets put in the system thanking them for visiting personally from you. If they reply to that email with additional questions it goes right to you.  I also find that more clients are willing to enter their information into a piece of technology than they are to write it down on paper. 

Some of its features are:

• Auto Email every client thanking them for stopping by
• All data collected gets stored in Open Home Pro and can be exported easily into .csv for import into your CRM
• Simple. Open Home Pro is designed to be easy to use
• Ability to publish real estate listings to OpenHomePro.com, driving you additional leads
• If you drop the price on a listing in the app all clients who previously saw it get emailed with the new price update.
• Full screen photo slideshows to show clients

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

FM Durham Quick Tips: Danger Zone!

The real estate market is heating up.  Triangle MLS is up over 30% in sales year to date.  Our office is up over 60% in sales year to date.  This puts us in the DANGER ZONE!  Why does a hot market and sales being up put us in the DANGER ZONE you ask?  For most agents, without the proper systems in place, if sales activity is way up, their prospecting for future business is way down. 

I say now is the time to return your attention to working on with your sphere of influence.  Below is a list of actions you can take to reach out to your VIP's (Very Important Prospects).

• Visit the Dollar Tree and order some flower pots, drop in your business card and deliver.
• Do a print out of your top 10 Grilling recipes and send it to them.
• Send them a hand written note referencing a recent conversation or interaction with them.
• Mail them a post card reminder to have their AC serviced for the upcoming summer.
• Mail them a $1 lottery ticket with your business card.
• Invite them to a Shred-It Party after April 15th (Tax Day).
• Invite your top contacts out to a nice lunch or dinner.

These are just a few great activities you can do to connect with your sphere of influence in the coming month.  Remember, prospecting is just as important as closing.  Keep working those transactions hard until they close, but remember you still need to keep that pipeline full!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

Ignite Your Business Part 2: Reach Out and Touch Someone!

This is part 2 of a 3 part system for agents looking to get a quick jump start on their business and to ignite a little buzz over a 30 day period.  Again, we are going to need your contact management system in order, and grouped into your A's, B's and C's.

The second part of this program is the "Reach Out and Touch Someone!"  All you need is your phone, computer and a list of your contacts.  Then take a moment and identify 5 people that you want to make a phone call to. 

Next, and most importantly, determine a purpose for making this phone call.  Why are you calling them?  Don't just call to say "hello" without a reason.  Think of what you are going to say.  Maybe you are calling to follow up on a newsletter you sent out.  Maybe you are calling them to congratulate them on something they posted on Facebook. 


Come up with a purpose for the phone call and write it down.  It is important to write down and have in front of you during the call.  So that you can reference your purpose.

Now all you have to do is make those 5 phone calls.  This is a must.  No matter how uncomfortable you are making the calls, they must be done.  If you find making the calls uncomfortable, they will get easier as you do them. If you are like me, stand up and walk around while you are making the calls.  I find this relaxes me and doesn't make it so formal as sitting in front of a desk. 

I want you to repeat this process 5 times a week for the next 4 weeks.  If you don't get an answer, leaving a detail message will suffice.  Or if you are an overachiever, then be sure to have 5 phone conversations per day, not just 5 calls!

BE REMEMBERED...REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201

Ignite Your Business Part 1: Thank You!

This is part 1 of a 3 part system for agents looking to get a quick jump start on their business and to ignite a little buzz over a 30 day period.  First thing's first, you need your contact management system in order.  Group your A's, B's and C's.  Get rid of your D's! 

The first part of this program is the "Thank You!"  All you need is your computer, a phone and your list of contacts.  Then take a moment, and think of 5 people who deserve a little gratitude.  For those of you who don't like to make the phone calls, don't worry, this isn't a must for part 1. 

You can email these people, and it's so easy!  Here is an example, "Hey Joe Jefferson, Thank you so much for helping to get our listing closed on time, we really do appreciate it!"  How simple was that?

What other ways can you thank them?  You can give them a call on the phone.  You could post to their facebook page with a "thank you."  You could pop by their office or place of business and drop off some cookies.  You could send them a hand written note to their home address.  Who doesn't like getting a hand written note?

Who can you send "thank you's" to?  You can send them to your mom and dad, your friend, an agent in your office, your mortgage lender, a husband/wife/life partner, a client, a past client, a closing attorney, a home inspector, an insurance agent, etc.  The list is endless. 

I want you to say "thank you" to 5 people in each of the next 30 days.  And I want you to keep track of it in your contact management system. 

Stay tuned for Part 2...

BE REMEMBERED....SAY THANK YOU!

Brandon L. Penny
bpenny@fmrealty.com
http://www.facebook.com/fonvillemoriseydurham
(919) 402-1201