Tag Archives: Real Estate

The Changing Role of the Real Estate Agent

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It’s hard to imagine any business sector which has not unalterably been changed by the internet, and which does not continue to change as the internet evolves. Real estate is no such exception. In many western countries, the internet now accounts for the vast majority of inquiries, with print media, ‘For Sale’ boards, and marketing to existing databases of potential customers now representing a comparatively small number of inquiries.

It stands to reason that this shift will, and is, also changing the role which traditional real estate agents (also known as ‘real estate brokers’) play within this sector. Traditionally, the value of real estate agents has been perceived as agents who have expert knowledge in the value of homes, the ability to run effective marketing campaigns, and the ability to negotiate effectively with potential buyers.

With the emergence of a plethora of new ‘For Sale by Owner’ portals, the role of the traditional real estate agent is also changing. Many of these portals now provide as part of their service, detailed statistical reports on comparable sales within a given area, which gives the seller a solid indication of what their own home may be worth. It is however, the marketing side of things in which these portals provide the highest value to the seller. Many ‘For Sale By Owner’ websites do not only publish advertisements to their own website; they often always publish these listings to the same 3rd party websites which the traditional estate agent would do, and at a fraction of the cost. In terms of negotiating, the seller always has the final say in what they are willing to accept as a sale price, and in this respect, the agent’s ability to negotiate on the seller’s behalf is often over-rated.

Real estate agents play an important role in the community, and this role should be acknowledged. They are after all, professionals who are engaged in this sector on a full-time basis, and who are (for the most part) generally up-to-date with what is happening within a given area. Therefore, it is hard to imagine that agent will disappear completely. What is to be expected though, is that the range of services offered will change over time. Sellers now have the same access to statistical research with regards to house prices as the agents themselves, they can often achieve the same number of inquiries by using the services of For Sale by Owner websites, and they are, and always have been, perfectly capable of negotiating with the buyers by themselves. In terms of contractual legalities, it is the case that in most western countries that it is perfectly acceptable for a seller to enter into a contract of sale with the buyer themselves. They do not need to be a licensed real estate agent to do this.

What then remains for the traditional real estate agent? Plenty. Experts who are continually conducting business within the real estate sector and specifically within a certain area, will generally still be able to assist a seller in a meaningful and valuable way. However, for a selection of services (such as the marketing), they no longer provide advantages to the seller which would previously never have been available to the seller.

For Sale by Owner portals will therefore never completely replace real estate agents. What they will most certainly do however, is reduce the cost of selling a home by virtue of the fact that sellers are no longer reliant on the estate agent as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for managing every aspect of the sale, and selecting only those services which they feel they either do not have the time for, or are not willing to spend time on themselves (such as market research to establish the correct selling price). All this means manifests itself in greater choice for sellers, and the potential for sellers to save thousands of dollars in commissions, by taking control and playing a more active role in actual sale of their own real estate.

When A Real Estate Marketing Tool Is A Great Idea

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If you are on the brink of despair and are thinking about giving up your real estate license don’t do it; at least not yet. You worked too hard to get licensed and with the right tools you might be able to turn things around and have the success you dreamed about before you got licensed!So, instead of doing the same old things for the same unsuccessful results, do something different. For starters, start with a good real estate marketing tool.Proven Marketing Ideas.Why reinvent the wheel when there are some pretty good marketing tools already available, and at bargain basement prices considering the money you can make using them? For example, a farming expired listing script is one of the best tools that an agent can have in their marketing tool kit! And they don’t all cost a lot of money!The right marketing tool can serve as a template for generating targeted, focused leads… one after another. The tool leads to listings, which then become sales. And once you perfect the template you can repeat the process over and over to create a profit generating machine, and almost effortlessly.Here’s why it’s so important to have a good real estate marketing tool. The right tool can help you generate leads sales and listings. The more listings you have the more sales you’ll make.And the more sales you make, the more referrals you can get to secure more listings. One feeds the other and in the process generates income. And isn’t that the reason you’re licensed to sell real estate – to make money?Expensive Does Not Mean EffectiveEffective marketing is easier than most real estate agents make it out to be. Some make it complicated and will buy overpriced marketing tools and associate quality with cost. However, I’m sure you know, even if it’s subconsciously, that just because something costs a lot of money doesn’t mean it’s worth the money you spent for it.For example, have you ever gone to a clothing store to buy a suit and decided not to because you felt it was overpriced, only to see the same suit in the same store offered a week later for half price?Well, the same thing applies to effective real estate marketing tools. Expensive does not necessarily mean good and effective!The Lazy Agents Way To Unprecedented SuccessWhen I was actively selling real estate I fully embraced any tool, or strategy that I could comprehend that would make me more successful. In that respect I figured out a way to market to 10-20 prospects a day in an hour or so, and did it 5 days a week. In a years time I prospected to more sellers than most agents did in a life time.Although I thought of it as a lazy way to get business I wasn’t lazy, but very focused, determined and driven to do it in the least possible amount of time.I realized early on that looking and being busy was not the same as being focused and productive. And with my particular real estate marketing tool, which was an expired listing system, I took my business to the next level and averaged more listings in a month than many of my peers did in a year.You too can take your business to the next level, but only if you have the right tools for the job. Want listings? Learn how to get them with a listing system! Want to close on more leads. Brush up on your closing skills with a tool that helps you improve that particular skill.In the end it will be the simple things that make the difference.

Where to get a Home Equity Line Of Credit Loan online

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A fixed rate home equity line of credit can help you out of a jam if you are strapped for cash. What would have to do if someone in your family were to be injured or to even lose a job? Do you have enough finances in the bank to cover your expenses including your mortgage payments for several months? If not, this is where a refinance home equity line of credit comes into play.

You can draw on the equity through a refinancing second mortgageloan to make all of your debt payments plus pay for your living expenses until the crisis is over. This is a much better alternative than using credit cards to live off of. Simply because the payments on a HELOC loan are typically going to be smaller. Plus the interest is typically going to be tax deductible.

It’s fairly common knowledge that banks are going to be more than willing to loan you money with decent home equity line of credit rates when you don’t really need it. However, if you hit a rough patch in your financial life and need cash desperately, it can sometimes be difficult to get the help that you need. A HELOC loan can help you out of this situation.

In other words it is going to be much easier for you to get a fixed rate home equity line of credit when you don’t really need one rather than to wait and try and get one when you really need it. This is the really great thing about a refinance home equity line of credit and makes this a fairly desirable mortgage loan. Is that there are no payments due unless you use it. This second mortgage for bad credit can also usually be free for those with good credit.