The real estate market has been recovering in many parts of the country, but unless first time buyers and other consumers are able to obtain home mortgages, the market will not be able to fully recover. Onerous mortgage restrictions designed to prevent another housing crisis had the undesirable effect of preventing many individuals who wanted to own a home from …
Is Newspaper Advertising Effective for Realtors?
Apparently not everyone is reading their news solely online as newspaper readership is increasing in many cities across the country. While circulation in the U.S. may be down nationally on average, real estate is local and national averages may not apply in your specific market. If you were predicting the demise of the printed newspaper you are not alone. But, …
Is your Personal Brand Attracting More Clients?
As a real estate agent, you have access to a variety of marketing tools and real estate agent programs. They are an important asset of any real estate business and they help you serve the needs of your clients. But, the one distinguishing factor that sets one agent apart from another is their reputation, identity or in other words their …
Existing Home Sales Gains in Midwest, Chicago Outperforming Other Real Estate Markets
In a sign that the housing market is continuing to recover existing home sales prices in the Midwest increased by 9.4% in the second quarter of 2014. Although, they are still about 6.1% lower compared to the previous year, according to the National Association of Realtors®, the gains in the Midwest outperformed other markets around the country. The average existing …
How Realtors® Can Use the New .REALTOR Domain to Their Advantage
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) recently launched the REALTOR top-level domain. Members of the Canadian Real Estate Association and NAR will have access to this domain from October, 2014. Since the majority of homebuyers begin their search online, the REALTOR domain will help real estate agents and brokers stand-out in search results among other websites. This represents one of …
How Real Estate Agents can attract More Qualified Buyers to Open Houses
The key to a successful open house is simply attracting qualified buyers that would be most interested in the property rather than a stream of curious neighbors. While that may seem easy enough, hosting open houses require some thought and preparation to be successful. You can’t just announce an open house and place a sign in the yard any longer. …
Realtors(r) Embracing Mobile Technology in a Big Way
For the past two years, there has been a sharp hike in the number of real estate agents and brokers adopting mobile technology. What was once considered a nice to have gadget has become a business necessity. When you think about it, devices like tablets and smart phones are a perfect fit for an industry that has always been a …