Sunday, July 25, 2010

THE OPEN HOUSE CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY

Posted: Friday, July 23, 2010

Now that realtors have access to the MLS listings on-line, some are questioning if the traditional method of holding an open house is still in fact viable. But is it still a worthwhile idea to spend the time and energy to have an open house? Consider that up to 48 percent of the property purchasers use the phrase open house in their search engine queries. Research illustrates that this proven practice remains an successful strategy, so it just makes sense to take advantage of the opportunity.

Of course, just putting an Open House sign on the lawn will not guarantee you the results you are looking for, so start setting up your action plan a few weeks in advance by posting on the internet and printing flyers. understanding which features are most critical to potential buyers will create a different open house strategy for a Brampton real estate agent versus other realtors in other cities. Evaluate the area and determine the best places to put up directional signs to funnel in traffic from the major arteries and side streets. A few days before the open house, boost up the attention by handing out flyers to the surrounding homes in the neighborhood. Make certain there is an announcement on the front page of your site and place notices in the local publication. Make the most of all your publications channels by creating fast and easy methods to direct the public to your current open house listings.
Once open house day is here, it is crucial to make the most of the opportunity. Meet the buyers at the doorstep and be friendly and educative. Try to prevent from pre-judging anyone who walks through your open house, as their appearance or race has no impact on their level of interest. Areas such as the Burlington Ontario real estate sector consist of a lot of different kinds of people which makes judging if a person can afford a home that much more difficult. They might actually be evaluating your methods to see if they want to use you as their agent. Instead of barraging them with typical sales questions pay careful attention to what they have to say and respond with specific questions that show you are paying attention to their requirements.
In a lot of the real estate courses that you have attended over your career you have certainly been informed that if a home stands out to the potential purchaser it has a better potential to sell. Once the visitors have toured the open house, you need to make sure you offer them some easy-to-carry handouts that will prompt them to remember your property and your property because they may view numerous houses in a single outing and you want to assure yours will stay fresh in their minds. If you are able to create a complete handout to the neighborhood that also provides useful tips on searching for a home you have a much greater possibility of hearing from them again. In this handout you can also include information regarding properties that are in a similar price bracket, even if they are not represented by your brokerage, so they can do their own comparisons. Offer maps of the area and simple internet links that will guide them to detailed facts on the web. You should keep in mind the reality that an open house day can have a return on the investment, and regardless if you do not see results the day of the event, the energy you put into making it properly can pay off later on.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Commercial Turnaround Likely Next Year
Vacancies are still increasing in many parts of the U.S. and new commercial construction will be sparse this year, Kermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects said Wednesday.

“There are a number of factors at play here that are contributing to one of the steepest construction downturns in generations,” said Baker. “We have businesses nervous about expanding their facilities, a fragile financial sector, excess commercial space, and general unease in the international economy.”

He predicted that demand for retail, hotels, healthcare, and recreation facilities will result in a turnaround in 2011.

Source: Los Angeles Times, Roger Vincent (07/14/2010)

Friday, July 2, 2010

OUTLOOK EXPRESS ADDRESS BOOK

I have an XP operating system in a computer and I love the Address Book. I am able to take people from the main menu and put them in groups very easily. Then I am also able to transfer from one group to another at will--just click on Select Members and transfer them from the 2 windows that come on. Perfect and easy!
 
So on my other BIG computer that has VISTA is something called Windows Mail. It is impossible to do the same thing with this. I really need to be able to transfer names around and I have over 1200 of them sorted into over a dozen groups. What a PITA this is and takes countless hours to accomplish when I have to RE-TYPE all the names when I want to change their positioning.
How can I get the slick XP address book functions over into Vista?
I am desperate for an answer to this!
Anyone know it?
 
 
BEGIN--THE REST IS EASY
Bob Stephens   CRB  e-PRO
Managing Broker
West USA Realty

GRI 202 WITH DALE

PROMOTE YOUR CAREER IN REAL ESTATE WITH A GRI 202 DESIGNATION!
 
Dale will be teaching it at PAR on the 14th and 15th of July, 2010.
I have included the attachment needed to sign up for it so you can plan ahead.
 
So commit to it now because it will make money for you in the future.
Can you see it now?--Graduate, Realtor Institute 202---GRI
 
 
BEGIN--THE REST IS EASY
Bob Stephens   CRB  e-PRO
Managing Broker
West USA Realty