Our Top 10 Most-Read Articles of June

High home prices are on everyone's mind, especially potential home buyers and the agents that serve them. That's likely why our #1 article on our monthly top 10 most read articles list is a look into what's driving today's outrageous prices.

Part of the issue with today's market is the amount of corporations who are buying up homes and pushing home ownership out of the reach of average consumers. Read more about this trend in #10 below.

Want to make working with buyers easier? Check article #2 for a free downloadable homebuyer's packet. Want to win more listings (of course you do)? Check out article #9 to learn more about leveraging pre-listing presentations.

To see what else made it into the top 10 most read articles of June, check out the full list below:

1. When Will U.S. Buyers See Relief From Skyrocketing Home Prices?
U.S. home prices have increased for an astounding 110 months straight; and since the pandemic began, they've risen at an extraordinary pace. Just this past April, the median home sales price in the U.S. was $341,600, nearly 20% higher than the year before. So when can buyers expect to see some much-needed home price relief?

2. Friday Freebie: Homebuyer Packet Template
‍It's a tough time to be a home buyer—and a buyer's agent. While you can't fix today's inventory problems, you can make the home buying process as smooth as possible for both your clients and yourself. In this week's Friday Freebie, we're highlighting a homebuyer packet that you can use to educate buyers, qualify buyer leads, and more.

3. What's the Big Deal about Google Local Services Ads?
If you're in the real estate business, there's a good chance you've been hearing a lot about Google Local Services Ads, or Google LSA. The industry has been buzzing with talk about how this new seller lead source can generate a lot of inexpensive ready-to-transact leads and even produce inbound "come-list-me" calls. The question is -- is this lead source actually worth it?

4. 8 Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Clients
Have you ever been exasperated by a difficult client or conversation? Interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence are abilities that real estate agents need to master. Take courage – you can remain calm, professional and make your way through skillfully to overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

5. How to Write the Perfect Real Estate Agent Bio
Making a good first impression online is far more difficult than doing so in-person. Luckily, you don't need to be a creative writing major to craft the perfect real estate agent bio. If you follow our suggestions, you'll be able to make a great first impression with anyone who reads about you online.

6. How Much is That Home Upgrade Worth?
The ability to accurately price a property for sale is arguably a listing agent's most valued skill. But when it comes to making tweaks and adjustments, how can you refine value based on upgrades made or repairs that need to be made? RPR's Refine Value Tool is the perfect solution.

7. Do You Own Your Real Estate Photos?
When a home's been listed for sale and arrangements have been made for a photoshoot, who owns the property photos once they've been taken? There are legal complications to consider, but to present arguments for both the agent and the photographer, we'd rather stick to the guidelines that dictate how property photos get used before, during, and after a real estate sale.

8. The Ultimate Script for Reconnecting with Past Real Estate Clients
Have you fallen out of touch with some past real estate clients? If you're like most of us, it's likely that you have. You need something like a script to help you in reconnecting with past real estate clients, since it can be difficult to consistently keep in touch with them, especially as your career progresses and your database grows. Here's what to say.

9. Want to Win More Listings? Learn the Art of the Pre-listing Presentation
Winning a listing is a multi-step sales process. There's the introduction, the meeting (in person or remotely), seeing the property, and the follow-up. Sending a pre-listing presentation ahead of your first meeting acts as a "door opener," and is your opportunity to set the stage and make a great first impression.

10. Are iBuyers Good for Consumers?
Cash-rich corporations are out-gunning desperate individual consumers with all cash offers to snap up more and more of the fewer and fewer homes available for sale. Increasingly these corporations are selling these homes to corporate landlords, off-MLS, and without ever making them available to families seeking homes to buy. What should we do when we encounter an existential threat to home ownership?