5 Things Every Real Estate Agent Should Do To Start Off The New Year!

Everyone wants to start their new year off right. I mean come on, it's a brand new year full of possibilities, new dreams, and the opportunity to have a blank canvas which is begging to be painted on.

Hopefully you have already put together what 2019 will look like for you. Some people believe in New Year Resolutions where others believe in achieving a theme for the year. I personally set out goals that I want to achieve. With that being said, below are 5 things that I believe you as a real estate professional should do to help make 2019 an amazing year!

1 - Break your overall goal/dominant focus into smaller goals evaluated every 30 days.  

So lets say your goal is to sell 55 houses this year which is 15 more than you did in 2018. You should break this down into 30 day windows. Why 30 day windows? Simple. If you are missing the mark, it gives you more opportunities to correct your course and achieve your goal. This works well with your other goals as well.

2 - Plan your social media campaign on your calendar.

You never plan to fail, but you might just fail to plan. So let's change that this year as it relates to your social media strategy. Plan out on your physical calendar what you want to do on what platforms. For instance, I have it broken down into how many video's I plan on doing, how many FB Live events I want to do, how many tweets and instagram posts I want to do weekly and monthly. The goal then is to physically put on your calendar what and when. One terrific tool to help you do this is Hootsuite.

3 - Contrary to belief, cold calling is not dead!

So reach out to your clients from 12 months ago and see if they have any warm leads they can pass on to you. They probably have really settled in to their new home, met new friends, neighbors and I guarantee they might just have a lead or two that could pan out into a sale. Never under estimate this amazing yet untapped source of sale potential. Also sometimes situations change, job opportunities change and they need that friendly call from their realtor to help them make that next transition in their life. Be that agent!

4 - Expand your sphere of influence.  

2x per month have coffee with someone that you need to build a good, long lasting relationship with that might not be in your sphere currently but should. Examples of this are your home inspectors, repair technicians, plumbers, painters, carpenters, media room installers, etc. This is a major untapped source for you to use to help you connect with more clients. These individuals are also growing their business and running into people that need things including realtors. Don't be so busy trying to sell a house that you do not try and keep your pipeline full!

5 - Become a pro at self talk.

You are your biggest fan! No one believes in you like you do. However, life is real and it is hard at times. And sometimes those close to you do not know you are struggling. So you have to be the one to look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you are a pro, a professional, you are the best and will achieve your goals you set out. There are a lot of books out there to help you with this. I recommend getting an audible account and begin listening to audio books while driving to appointments or other meetings. Be your biggest cheerleader and don't give up!

These are just 5 items I believe that will help you achieve your best year yet. If I can help you in any way, please text sellingexit to 85377.

8 SURPRISING REASONS TO HOUSE HUNT IN FALL & WINTER

Fall or winter are not the seasons that one thinks about when considering buying or selling a home. Spring is traditionally the winner. However, you should know that there are buyers out there in autumn and/or winter, and this could be a great finish to your year if you look for the opportunities. Contrary to what a lot of agents believe, home sales happen all year and there are seasonal trends in the marketplace. The deals that you find when the weather becomes cooler and the leaves are crunching underneath your feet have less to do with the price of the property and more to do with the lack of competition.

Every realtor knows that there are seasons in real estate when the market is hotter in some months and cooler in others. That does not mean that fall and winter are bad months to sell

“Every realtor knows that there are seasons in real estate when the market is hotter in some months and cooler in others.”

and/or buy properties. On the contrary, real estate seasonality normally is in favor of those clients who are in a position to buy when the weather changes and begins to cool off. Now don’t get me wrong, there are always exceptions to the rules that will cause even the most seasoned agent to scratch their head in disbelief. But for the most part, the fall is most definitely in favor of the buyers. Please note however that typically the "Buyers” attention moves to the holidays in mid- November, so it’s best to move quickly and work with your perspective clients on their forever purchase as fast as possible.

As I stated previously, fall has many benefits for home buyers, including year-end tax breaks, advantageous weather for moving and a plethora of homes on the market. While most homes look nice during the spring/summer, homes also look great when surrounded by the colors & smells of fall. The summer heat is traditionally too hot for buyers, and once the harsh winter arrives, with shorter daylight hours and extreme cold weather, folks just want to stay indoors.

With the holiday season that fall/winter brings, buyers and sellers tend to be more relaxed which creates more pleasant transaction on all ends.

Furthermore, the challenge of multiple offers and inventory issues fade away as the smell of burning leaves and crisp cool mornings become the norm. This is why fall and winter provide your clients with the greatest opportunity to find and purchase their new forever home or investment property.

Also be mindful that job changes can put some people in the position where they have to move in fall, whether or not by choice. And people who need or want to move, want to be settled in before the holidays arrive.

Savvy buyers/sellers want to take advantage of tax benefits that home ownership can provide to them before the year ends as well as property taxes which are also deductible from gross income for tax purposes.

Even though the yards do not look as pretty as they do in the summer and the curb appeal is covered in leaves blown by the cool fall breezes, here are 8 surprising reasons to house hunt in fall/winter months.

8 Reasons Revealed

1 - Timing is everything

Most people that want to purchase a home have probably already done so by the time September comes around. And as you know, the laws of supply and demand dictate that when the housing demand decreases it will almost always result in a lower price point. When this happens buyers tend stop competing with one another and homeowners actually start competing for the attention of prospective owners. The end result is that home prices tend to drop the farther they are removed from the summer months. Good news for buyers, bad news for sellers.

2 - Less Competition

When the weather is beautiful and summer fun is in full effect, perspective buyers are out house hunting and buying. However with that many people out looking at properties, you quickly go into an inventory issue where multiple offers are common place. Once the cooler months of fall come, or the snowy months of winter arrive, the summer frenzy dies down substantially. This does not mean that the real estate market goes on sabbatical.

Unlike the bear who hibernates for the winter, the intent buyer can benefit

nicely for their fall/winter house hunting safari.

With the decrease in competition, the sellers can’t help but shave a couple of dollars off their asking price to ensure a timely transaction. In fact, it’s at this time of the year buyers are coveted by sellers.

3 - Lower Asking Price

When sellers still have their house or available properties on the market as we go into winter, they know that there will be fewer buyers on the market and supply might exceed demand. This type of perfect storm normally results in the prices being lowered or more concessions from the buyer being approved to achieve the sellers goal of moving the property. This is where the patient buyer wins big by becoming a fall/winter house hunter.

4 - Sellers are motivated

Low activity in the fall/winter will always play into the buyers hand significantly motivating the seller. Seasoned agents know that during the fall/winter months, sellers are more willing to negotiate on price, closing cost/ date, any unique terms of the sale or items included in the sale. This is why a lot of agents ask their perspective clients to hold of on listing during this time of the year and wait until spring when the timing is more favorable to the seller. Unfortunately, unique situations and other life circumstances can sometimes cause the seller to list when the buyer has the upper hand.

Note: If a seller lists during this time of year it could be from a new job offer, financial issue, divorce or something else that is causing the sale.

It can work in the buyers favor but be mindful when making an offer to the seller.

5 - Sellers are worn-out

Every real estate agent has had that client who believes their property is worth more than what the comps/market can support. So after many months of no action or action with offers the seller is unwilling to accept, sellers are often ready to make a deal in the fall/winter months.

The sellers eagerness to make as much as they could, ignoring the advice of their professional realtor, has put them into a situation where they are more likely to accept a lower offer rather than sit on the property another 6 months.

6 - Clients feel they are the center of attention

Because spring and summer are ideal times to buy a home, real estate agents are usually busier then. And that could means one of your clients might not always receive the attention they are wanting. It is human nature to gravitate towards the new shiny thing or the client that is pre approved and does not take a lot of work to get them to make a decision on a property. With the traditional low activity during the winter months you should be able to provide your client the undivided attention he or she is hoping for. These lean months of low sales volume should be the fuel you need as an agent to try just a little bit harder to negotiate the sale. So what are you waiting for? Brave the cold, pull on a winter coat, and get out there and make some winter commission.

7 - Likelihood of multiple offers decreases

Purchasing real estate in the fall/winter is an amazing time because it is typically considered to be a buyers market. Since the weather does not say “come out and house hunt”, there are a fewer number of buyers out searching. With the decrease in the number of potential buyers competing for the same properties, the possibility of sellers having multiple offers to choose from on a single property are greatly reduced. This ideal situation gives the buyer the upper hand over the sellers when negotiations begin. This creates an opportunity for cash heavy investors to go after that property they have been carefully watching and unable to secure due to the time of year.

8 - You may not have to negotiate as much.

Traditionally no one wants to go through long, drawn out negotiations. The stress of buying a home and then having to haggle back and forth when you just want to get it over with turns any sweet deal sour quickly. One of the beautiful things about purchasing/ selling a home in winter is that everyone is already aware that the season requires compromises. When the home inspector discovers an issue during the home inspection, the seller may be willing to negotiate repairs or additional money off the house with less effort than if it were during the peak season. You might also be able to get concessions that otherwise would be less likely in a more competitive seller’s season. What are you waiting for, make the offer!

BONUS MATERIAL

What are the downsides to buying a home in the winter? Below are some things that could give you pause for purchasing a home in the winter.

• Possible fewer homes for sale because many home sellers will wait until Spring.

• The cold and potentially snowy/icy conditions make it a challenge to look at homes.

• You may not be able to see the yard all that well if there is a lot of snow on the ground or you may not see the lack of curb appeal on some homes.

• You will start paying for utilities at a time that where they are much more expensive.

• Days are also shorter with less daylight available for looking at homes.

10 REASONS WHY AGENTS LEAVE THEIR BROKERAGE

Each agent has their own thought process and reasoning for making the decision to leave their current brokerages. Some are very straight forward, while others are very complex.  1 out of every 3 agents are considering making a brokerage change. It is rare that agents leave a comfortable situation because most people hate change. Change is difficult and full of unknowns. However, without the state of being uncomfortable, growth can’t occur.

Below are 10 reasons why agents consider leaving their current brokerage.  They are in random order as every agent is different and will prioritize them differently.

1 - Commission Split - This is one of or the most common reasons agents decide to leave their current brokerage.  When agents are new to the industry, the “Normal” discussions of splits and what % goes to the brokerage and/or franchise is somewhat foreign.  But as an agents success grows, the realization of their commission split and money they could be making can become an area of contempt.

2 - Fee’s - Another common reason agents decide to leave a brokerage is that they no longer want to pay for fee’s they feel are unwarranted or unfair to them as an agent.  Some of the common fee’s that agents do not care to pay are desk fee’s, Office Expenses, Advertising, Franchise Fee’s, Broker Management Fee’s, Copier Fee’s and other miscellaneous fee’s.  Agents that do not use the office, the office copier or receive dividend checks from the franchise do not feel they should have to pay unwarranted/unfair fee’s. 

3 - Training - Great Agents are not born they are trained.  Some brokerages do a great job offering training to their agents.  They use webinars, techinars, live training and 1 on 1 mentorship when deemed necessary.  Not all brokerages have this capability or spend the time/money to bring training to their agents.  Agents are looking for personal growth and opportunities.  If an agent is not personally being challenged or being offered better opportunities to develop themselves and their brand, they will find a brokerage that will.

4 - Office Chemistry - This one normally is not the only reason an agent will decide to leave a brokerage (unless the environment is toxic), but it does play heavily into their decision.  Enjoying the environment that you work in, when you are in the office is a crucial piece to an agents success.  Agents like a environment and sales process that flows well and contributes to their overall success.  If an agent feels there is an environmental issue that they are unable to fix, it will be easier for them to just leave.  

5 - Leadership - This one is tough because it may be a combination of a few points listed above, but the overall tone of the brokerage is 100% set by the lead broker(s).  When you have a friendly, inviting, transparent & accessible broker, the likelihood of the agents being the same way are high.  This breeds loyal agents.  The opposite of this creates discord, anger and ultimately causes great agents to find greener pastures.  

6 - Phone/Floor Time - This is not as common as it used to be.  Most of your mid size and larger brokerages have someone they hire on an hourly basis to answer phones and direct any possible walk in’s to an agent in a pool system.  But when you are at a smaller brokerage, pulling the short straw and getting stuck on the floor/phone duty is a beat down for most.  If your brokerage is small with a small number of agents, the chances of you being stuck at the office more is highly likely.  Switching to a larger brokerage might just fix this!

7 - Location - This one is low on the list of reasons to leave a brokerage, but does play a small roll in an agents decision to make a change.  Most agents work from home, their car, the local coffee shop or favorite restaurant.  So making the 1x per month pilgrimage to the brokerage for a meeting or training event may or may not play into an agents decision to leave.  Traffic, traffic and more traffic does turn off some agents and cause them to consider making a change. There is nothing a brokerage can do about traffic but they can hold meetings off of peak traffic hours/rush hour.  If your brokers are not sensitive to this challenge, then it may be time for a change.  

8 - Lack Of Personal Brand - Working with a huge real estate company can have it’s up side but also a down side.  Most of the very large brokerages have access to more leads and have various partnerships that help supply them with leads.  This may appear like a win/win to a new agent. However, the downside to this is that you may be in a situation where you are promoting the brokerage (their brand) more than your personal brand.  This is not a good strategy.  If you want to be a successful agent in the long term, you must build a strong personal brand.  You want your clients to go where you go no matter what brokerage you are associated with.  If this is not the case, you need to quickly evaluate your situation and take appropriate action.

9 - Business is slow - When you work with a boutique brokerage or just a smaller office trying to step out and compete with the bigger, more well known brokerages, several factors play into this.  SEO or Search Engine Optimization is critical when clients rely on search engines to find an agent, gauge the company’s approval rating or see if they are well known.  You also need to consider that you may be losing out on potential business if your brokerage has a poor online reputation.

10 - Other Financial Benefits - There are brokerages out there that have a system in place to help agents generate a 3rd stream of income while they continue to sell or buy properties for their clients.  Some brokerages have a profit sharing options, some brokerages have multi-level sponsorship and others have single level sponsorship.  Agents traditionally do not know of any other streams of income that is available, so this is normally a new concept to most.  Agents that are interested in this type of income need to do their research and find which model makes them the most money consistently.  Also, you need to look into which program is moveable or reconfigures if you retire from selling real estate or pass away.  This is very important.  The only single level sponsorship system out there is with EXiT Realty.  It also can stay with you after you retire and go to beneficiaries when you pass away.

BONUS MATERIAL

When an agent decides to leaver their current brokerage, unless there is a true unforeseen reason to leave abruptly, agents usually take their time to make the change.  Most agents take too much time, contemplating every scenario known to man before taking the leap.  I want to provide you with a bonus section, with 4 reasons agents take too long before leaving their current brokerage.

1 - Fear - Many agents believe when they have a fear of change or fear of the unknown that it means something bad is going to happen and they should not do anything.  Top psychologists state that when you are an adult, fear normally shows up EVERY time you're growing or going where you dream of.  They also state that anyone who has ever done anything unique or wonderful in their life was probably terrified much of the time, and very likely still is.

2 - Concern about their pipeline - This is a valid concern, but not one that would prevent you from moving forward.  Usually the brokerage that you are leaving will understand your departure because they traditionally want you to be happy and successful and will allow you to take your traditional commission.  However, there are occasions when they will enforce the contract you signed about leaving the brokerage and what that means for closings once you depart.  If they are going to take a big chunk of some of your bigger deals you have coming up, just wait until they close then move.  It’s ok, the new brokerage will understand.

3 - Too busy to make the switch - Ok, we all understand busy.  But when you are a producing agent, there will never really be a time when you are not busy.  However, there are times when even the busiest agent will slow down some.  Don’t let your schedule dictate your future.  If you can’t take the time, make the time.

4 - Their clients won’t be able to find them - This can also be summed up by saying that the agent has a fear of leaving a brokerage that they are identified with.  The actual truth is your clients liked you, not your brokerage.  They do not know how your brokerage works so do not give the brokerage that much power over you.  They don’t call their neighbors and say “look who we are selling our house with!  That’s right Sally, we went with XX brokerage.”  That’s not how any of this works.  Don’t give something power over you and your brain like that.