December 2008 - Happy Holidays!
Give Holiday Gifts That Say the Right Thing The holidays give you an opportunity to reach out to past clients and thank them for their business – at the same time, reminding them you’re ready to serve them or their friends in the future. Choosing the right gift can make even more of an impact...(More) Create a Website People Want to Visit You’ve read about the importance of an Internet presence, but have you experienced the benefits first-hand? If not, it could be because your website doesn’t tell homebuyers and sellers what they want to know...(More) Become a Real Estate Expert in the Media Getting free media exposure may be easier than you think. Plus, it’s a good way to set yourself apart – and above – your competition...(More) Don't Merely Represent Buyers, Protect Them. Be sure you give the buyers you represent the full advantage of your professional knowledge and experience to protect them – and you...(More)	DID YOU KNOW? AmeriSpec® was incorporated in 1987 in Orange County, CA and began offering home inspection franchises in 1988. For more information please visit www.amerispec.com
Give Holiday Gifts That Say the Right Thing It’s the holidays, and time for you to acknowledge past and present clients with a gift. Giving a poinsettia as a gift has a short time impact, and household items with your logo on them are likely to disappear into the back of cabinets. Think creatively and you may provide a gift that is actually cherished. Here are some examples you might want to consider: • Map books. Most cities have a spiral bound map book that is updated yearly. This is an ideal gift for those who relocated, but is also helpful to long-time natives. You can even put a sticker on it with your name and contact information. • Items for the home. Welcome mats, birdhouses, candlesticks, a lovely vase and other items that reflect a love of home, are all good options and can be found in a wide range of prices. • Small luxuries. Create baskets that include something permanent along with consumables. A basket of gourmet food items could include a few wooden spoons or a small cheeseboard. A stress relief basket could include a small teapot as well as calming teas. What makes this approach nice is that every gift can be personalized to the tastes of the individual. However, watch your costs – this can get expensive. • Something motivational. From small stones with single words carved into them, to wall plaques, there are many sweet, direct, and even funny items that can be welcome gifts. Lean towards items that say things like “dream” or “dance like no one is looking” – engaging sentiments that anyone can appreciate. Use your imagination and you’re sure to come up with many more ideas. However, just as important is what type of gifts to avoid. Here are some helpful guidelines: • Avoid personal gifts – which are defined as anything that touches the skin, from hand lotion to knit scarves. • Stay away from anything remotely religious or political in nature. • Watch out for gift certificates that could be misconstrued (i.e. a gift certificate for housecleaning or a gym). • Don’t get too expensive; this could make the recipient uncomfortable. • Be wary of food gifts. A box of chocolates could be sabotage to a dieter, and danger to a diabetic. Many people are allergic to nuts, or have other allergies that could make your offering undesirable. Most important, try to deliver your gift in person. Your smiling face is the best holiday greeting you can offer. Back To Top Create a Website People Want to Visit Of course your brokerage has a website, but you need one, too – a site where you promote your own name and provide instant access to area listings and other valuable information. Here are some suggestions to help you make your website successful: • Keep it quick to load and easy to navigate. Have friends and family test the site to make sure it works with different browsers and operating systems. If your site is slow to load or doesn’t get visitors where they want to be with ease, they won’t linger or come back. • Avoid animations and gimmicks. Animations may seem fun, but they distract from your main purpose. • Remember, it’s all about access to listings. That’s what visitors want most, so make it easily accessible for them. • Include easy-to-use maps. There are all kinds of free mapping services on the web that you can link to; use them to your best advantage wherever possible. Even locals may not know some parts of even the smallest town. • Include local statistics as much as possible: asking versus selling prices, time on the market, etc. If your local rules don’t allow this, have a sign-in option where people can request these statistics individually; it’s a good way to develop a database. • Provide links to local government services along with a brief description of why a visitor might want to visit them. Make sure these links don’t take them away from your website, but instead open up in another window. Driver’s license, schools, utilities, and other services that people need to arrange when moving, should all be included. • Provide links to things like the local daily newspaper, TV and radio stations, and other local communications that might be helpful to newcomers. • Keep information about you accessible but not primary. • Don’t forget to allow for email contact. It’s amazing the number of websites that don’t have this basic tool but instead rely on phone numbers or addresses. If someone wants to contact you, you need to make it as easy as possible. • Keep everything relevant. Search engines want to steer visitors to the website that most closely answers their needs. Make sure your Meta title, Meta description, and page content work together to draw people interested in real estate in your area. • Try to include a blog only if you’ll keep it up. An active blog can lead to a bookmark on a visitor’s browser. Remember to make the content of the blog about houses and the local community and not so much about you. You can use client stories (name withheld, of course) to help educate visitors about the ins and outs of real estate. The message of your blog should be sincere, friendly, and brief. If you have the skills, you may want to create your website yourself. If you do use a professional service, make sure to clearly communicate your goals for this site and monitor the progress. Then, get ready to make the World Wide Web your own. Back To Top Become a Real Estate Expert in the Media Do you think all those people who provide their expert opinions on radio and television talk shows or newspaper interviews know more than you? You may be surprised! You’re an expert in your field, just like they are in theirs. The only difference is they’re garnering free publicity for their endeavors, and you’re not. However, that’s something you can change, and it’s not as hard as you might think. First, think about the knowledge you have that is not well known by the general public. Don’t underestimate yourself. Remember, what is second nature to you is foreign territory to most people. Subjects from getting a home ready to sell, to the information you need at hand to get approved for a mortgage, are all valuable pieces of information to other people. Decide on some specific topics and then make an outline summary of the subject you will cover, the body of the talk, and a closing summary of the highpoints. You might notice what stories are current in the trade press or online when looking for inspiration. You are uniquely positioned to give a local context to national trends. Be seen on television. Make note of all the television talk shows in your area. Record the programs that seem the most likely candidates for your line of expertise and study them. Notice the length of time most guests are given, if visual aids are used, and if the attitude is light-hearted or serious. Next, determine who is the casting agent or program director for the show in which you are most interested. Contact that person and tell them your “story” idea. Follow his or her lead in answering questions. If you don’t get any interest in your original suggestion, find out what areas of home ownership or real estate there might be an interest; you may find a good match. Once you get booked, rehearse your key points so you won’t get flustered, but don’t put them into a speech if you will be interacting with someone else. When the time comes, get there plenty early and relax. Have an extra copy of your talking points for the host. Keep in mind that your host wants you to look and sound good as it makes the show more interesting. If, by some chance, you are asked a question you don’t know the answer to, simply smile and say, “I don’t have the answer to that right now, but I’d love to research that and come back to tell your viewers in the future.” Be heard on the radio. For radio, listen to the programs that are most likely to accept you as a guest. If you are not quick when put on the spot, avoid programs that accept call ins. However, remember that with radio no one can see you, so you can have as many notes and resources spread around you as you want; this could increase your confidence. Follow the same steps for getting booked and being prepared as for television. Many people find radio more relaxing since you don’t have to worry as much about your appearance. Be read about in the newspaper. Depending on your market size, getting articles or even a regular column in the local newspaper could be the easiest or the hardest way to get in the public eye. Newspapers with smaller circulations have limited resources for reporting and may be thrilled at the opportunity to get some additional local news at no cost to them. All you may need to do is propose a regular column on real estate, with some examples of what you plan to write about to achieve your goal. Large market newspapers are less likely to let you have your own column or article. However, you can become one of the people that are regularly called to comment on conditions in your field of expertise. This requires building relationships with the appropriate reporters or department editors. Email your opinion or comments on certain stories, and offer to provide them with a local perspective when the paper runs a story that came from an out-of-town source. Soon, you may be their number one source for local real estate news. No matter which avenue you decide to pursue to become a real estate expert, always remember that the information you are sharing is to help others. You are not trying to directly sell your services. Making the mistake of promoting your services instead of providing helpful knowledge can do more harm than good. So, become a media star. After all, it doesn’t cost you anything. Back To Top Don't Merely Represent Buyers, Protect Them. When someone has a bad case of buyer’s remorse after purchasing a home, a natural reaction can be, “Why didn’t somebody warn me?” More often than not, the next thoughts may be negative ones about the real estate agent that “let them” make an unfortunate decision. Their disappointment could lead to bad word of mouth about you. Studies show that unhappy customers complain to an average of seven different people; that could hurt your reputation substantially over time. Of course you can’t expect everyone to live happily ever after with their new home, but there are things you can do to protect the buyers you represent and significantly reduce the chance they’ll fault you if things go bad. Watch their financial commitment. Make sure they are aware of all the costs that could come along with a new home purchase. Property taxes, utility bills, yard maintenance costs, even gas for the daily commute, are all costs home buyers need to consider before taking a plunge. If you bring these up in advance, you’re showing your commitment to their future wellbeing as well as your interest in making a sale. Have them study the inspection report. It’s not enough to insist on a professional home inspection. Encourage them to be on site when the inspection takes place. Then, sit down and go through the written report with them. Talk to the inspector again if there are any questions. Encourage them to get estimates for any needed repairs before closing the deal, or asking for price concessions based on the inspection results. A home inspection report is an invaluable investment – make sure it is used. Don’t let them pay too much. You have substantially more knowledge of the different neighborhoods and home values than the buyers you represent. Even though a lower selling price reduces your commission, you should use your knowledge to prevent your clients from overpaying. Encourage them to get pre-approved. Nothing is more disappointing to a home buyer than to fall in love with a home and then find out they can’t get the necessary financing. Encourage your clients to get pre-approved. Not only can it reduce the chance of disappointment, it could also make the closing process move along more quickly. While it’s virtually impossible to protect every home buyer from disappointment, by acting as their solid advocate from start to finish, you can greatly reduce the chance that any disappointment will be with you. Back To Top

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AmeriSpec is a registered trademark of AmeriSpec, Inc. AmeriSpec services provided by independently-owned and operated franchises depending on location. Not all services and programs discussed herein are available at each office. Check with your local office regarding availability of services. See inspection agreement for details regarding scope of inspection and exclusions. Before following any of the cleaning information, methods, advice or suggestions above, always test a small area that is less visible first. Also, you should consult the manufacturer's care instructions and warnings before trying any of the above. Due to the general nature of the advice in this material, neither AmeriSpec, nor its individual franchises assumes any responsibility or accepts liability for any loss, damage, or injury which may be incurred as a result of any action inspired by information, advice or suggestions through this material.