Top 10 Most Popular Articles of July

Fireworks, pundits, and political conventions--July was a bit noisy this year!

For most agents and brokers, it was more than a bit busy too, since summer is the height of the real estate selling season. To find out which articles our readers leaned on most to help them manage their increased workload, check out our list of the most popular articles from July.

(P.S. August already?! If anyone knows where summer went, please let us know in the comments below.) 

1. 5 Things You Didn't Know Your Lockbox Could Do
A new partnership between two NAR Realtor benefits is making it easier for agents to impress buyers during a showing. Sentrilock has teamed up with RPR to offer agents one-click access to RPR property data from the SentriSmart mobile app. We think that's pretty neat, and it got us thinking about other cool things that lockboxes and their mobile apps can do. Here are the top five things you may not know your lockbox can do.

2. How to Find FSBO Leads without Lifting a Finger
Prospecting for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) properties has long been a favorite strategy of agents looking for potential listings. If this is a lead generation method you use (or want to), we've got a way to unearth FSBOs that requires virtually no effort on your part.

3. What Successful Agents Do Differently: 12 Techniques
Why are some agents successful and others not? Well, it's not chance. Mike Ferry has been observing successful agents for 40 years, and now he shares the 12 things that sets successful and unsuccessful agents apart. #6 at 5:38 is the gem.

4. Facebook Personal vs. Facebook Business: Which Should You Use?
Many real estate agents have used Facebook Profiles when they should be using Facebook Pages instead. When you sign up for Facebook, you create a personal profile and add your family and friends to your network. So where do you talk about business? That's where Facebook Pages comes in.

5. Low-Cost Lead Generation Activities for Real Estate
Only 2-3% of people who visit your website will convert, which means that to capture a significant number of leads, we need a lot of monthly visitors to our website. Most of us can't get the number of visitors we need from organic traffic alone and need other ways to find leads. Today, we're going to give you some campaigns you can use to find those leads.

6. 3 Places Today's Buyers Are Getting Their Real Estate Information
As a busy agent, you don't just need leads — you need can't fail lead gen strategies. But do you know where to look? According to the NAR 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, there are three main places buyers are getting their real estate information. By making sure local buyers can find you in these three places, you're guaranteed to get more business this summer.

7. 9 Do's and Don'ts of Excellent Customer Service for Real Estate
On any given day, a real estate agent has a thousand tasks on the go. Between your listing presentations, open houses, contract drafts and phone calls, it can be easy to lose focus on the kind of service you're offering your clients. Are you providing the best possible service to your real estate clients? Follow these nine customer service do's and don'ts for real estate agents and you'll be swimming in client referrals in no time!

8. 3 Strategies to Deal with Unrealistic Sellers
Selling a home can be one of the most exciting times in a person's life, but it can also be one of the hardest when it comes to their emotional attachment to the home. Deciding on a selling price can trigger an emotional reaction from your clients, and all agents know what it's like to have a seller that questions the price they've determined for a listing. Here are three strategies that can help when faced with this sometimes difficult situation.

9. The NAR Code of Ethics: How They Apply to Everyday Business
The National Association of Realtors® Code of Ethics is a set of ethics guidelines, articles and rules set forth to govern the ethical behavior of all Realtor Members of the Association. Consider this article a refresher course as to the duties and mindset all Realtor Members should have and uphold when both operating in business and dealing with clients, customers and members of the public.

10. 5 Real Estate Apps that Used Augmented Reality Way Before Pokemon Go
"Augmented reality" has entered the cultural lexicon in a big way, thanks to Pokemon Go. We in the real estate industry have already been leveraging augmented reality like this--and for years! Let's take a look at some of the apps that have been busy blazing the augmented reality trail in our industry.