Going Viral… In a Good Way
No I am not talking about ‘swine flu’. Reading an article this morning by Dan Heath and Chip Heath (the book Made to Stick has
No I am not talking about ‘swine flu’. Reading an article this morning by Dan Heath and Chip Heath (the book Made to Stick has
We are surely at historic lows in mortgage interest rates and there is much to be gained by refinancing your home mortgage, but accomplishing this requires a systematic approach and a careful attention to detail. The new economy has brought with it a heighted sense of risk and banks may require some convincing before opening up the money gates. There are a number of things to be aware of that, if understood, will help to make your loan application process smoother and more successful. I hope that the following ideas are helpful.
Those responsible for attracting new agents to their offices have certainly been challenged by today’s real estate market. A look at the decline in NAR membership only adds to the discouragement many recruiters are feeling. So let’s regroup.
Programmable Web keeps a running directory of mashups adding 36 new ones last week to the list. Lot’s of good ideas here for real estate
On a recent trip to Exuma, I strolled to the straw market not far from my hotel. I was on a mission to find a
Bill Gates, Barry Diller and about a billion dollars in venture capital have been thrown at real estate. Yet for the most part, the transaction today looks almost identical to what it was back in 1990. Brian Boero from 1000wattconsulting takes a peak at real estate past and present. He wonders if we have reached the end of the real estate story or not. This is a riveting post worth reading.
Lon Cohen, writer and Director of Communication at als-ny.org publishes 7 Ways to Approach Twitter published on Mashable that includes a litany of great links to learn by example.
I was at the gym last weekend reciting the no pain no gain mantra while trying to block out the noise around me, when my thoughts got interrupted by two words “real estate” — spoken by the ladies chatting next to me. Enough with my personal pep talk, this peeked my interest.
I gently nudged myself into their conversation. As it turns out, one of the women is in medical sales but also happens to be taking her real estate course. I asked her if she had spoken with any brokers yet regarding work and she explained that she had one interview with a local office.
“Tell me more,” I asked.
She said it was a good meeting. The broker seemed knowledgeable and very eager to help her. The company had training programs and a good reputation in the community. She was speaking so positively that I assumed she was ready to join the office. I congratulated her, but she stopped me and said that she didn’t think it was the office for her. I asked her why.
She explained that upon leaving, the broker’s farewell included the following statement:
“Kiddo, we’d love to have you join the team.”
We know how well the big sites in real estate (Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia) rank in the search engines. And we are clear about the vast amount of traffic they receive. We also know that consumers are drawn to these sites first before drilling down to the local broker and agent sites. What we inside real estate know that most consumers may not is how many local listings are actually missing from these search sites. Jay Thompson digs a little deeper into this discussion in his post this week titled Where to search for homes online.
We haven’t even reached our first birthday and we have been nominated for “The Internet’s highest honor” according to the New York Times. I think this is validation for all of the blood, sweat and tears that went into getting this site live nearly nine months ago. We are nominated for a People’s Voice Award and that requires all of our followers to Register and vote for our site. We are nominated in the Real Estate Category and are currently in dead heat for first place with HotPads and Trulia.
Recent surveys provide some alarming statistics. Only one percent of family-owned businesses in North America reach a third generation with family members running them. Another report shows that 30 percent of all family-owned businesses have not considered a successor, with only 63 percent having done so when the owner has already reached age 65. Finally, another recent survey shows that more than 58 percent of small-business owners list inadequate succession planning as the biggest threat facing their business.
Given the fact that 90 percent of the 18 million-plus businesses in America are family-owned and managed, it’s obvious that a solid succession plan will be important should the majority owner.
The numbers of boomers adopting social networks and Web 2.0 tools online continue to rise especially in regards to using platform that offer them new way to communicate with their loved ones. While the younger generation may not be so quick to friend mom and dad on Facebook, according to this article in Adage this week, both generations are enjoying the benefits of Skype. Next thing you know, Grandma will be Tweeting to the grand kids. And what a great way to bridge the generation gap.
In this tough economy marketing dollars are tight. As a savvy marketer you know that right now is the perfect time for you to pick up market share as your competitors are tightening their belts. Let’s assume your emotional side has gotten the best of you and your rational side can’t pry another dollar from your marketing budget.
What do you do?
Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Anywhere Real Estate, a global provider of real estate services.
Headquarters
175 Park Avenue,
Madison, NJ 07940
1.866.616.4BHG (4244)
Consumer Web site: www.bhgre.com
Sign up to get the latest from BHGRE.