Top 10 Articles from August

Happy Labor Day! We hope you're enjoying summer's last gasp with a belly full of barbeque and a stiff drink in hand. Before you make the official transition into fall, take some time to peruse our list of the most popular articles from summer's final month.

Cheers to your continued success in the season ahead!

1. 11 Questions to Ask Buyers After a Showing
How saleable are your listings? One way to find out is to collect feedback from buyers who have toured them. Listing agents can, in turn, use this information to initiate sometimes tough conversations with sellers about price and marketability. We turned to a top producing Realtor to find out what's most useful to ask.

2. 5 Things Top Agents Do Every Day
The differences between productive agents and average agents are stark. If your aim is to join the ranks of the super producers, adopting some of their habits is a good way to get started. Perform these five tasks every day and you'll be on your way!

3. The Property Search Portal that Doesn't Want Your Money
Since entering the competitive portal space 18 months ago, Househappy has differentiated itself with a distinct "Pinterest-like" focus on visual search. But for real estate pros, the best part is the site's hardlined determination to NOT make money off of agents and brokers. Profiles are free, and there are no banner nor advertising programs for agents to buy.

4. 4 Hacks For Using Gmail Like a Pro
Gmail is one of the most popular and functional tools for managing your email. While Google's service has been around for well over a decade, there are definitely some great features that people aren't leveraging to their best advantage. Here are a few tips on how you can make your inbox more efficient and get Gmail working for you.

5. Contact Management for Real Estate Agents: 3 Essential Elements to Success
Agents who excel in effective contact management forge strong relationships with their sphere and get the vast majority of their business from past clients in the form of repeat business and referrals. Here are three keys to success when it comes to contact management and actionable insights you can start applying to your business right away.

6. 4 Reasons Former Clients Forget You Exist
The hope is that every client becomes a repeat client and sends others your way. Unfortunately, too often, this fairytale flow of deals isn't an agent's reality and there are a few pretty good reasons that all carry the same theme: Your clients don't remember you. Here are four reasons you've slipped from the top spot in your clients' minds and a few suggestions for climbing back just in time for their next referral or transaction.

7. How to Talk to Your Sellers About Price Reductions
Does your seller have an over-inflated opinion of their home's value? Sellers have an emotional investment in their home that doesn't always allow them to look at pricing in a rational way. Luckily, there are ways you can approach the reduction discussion that appeals to both their feeling and thinking sides. Here are a few suggestions.

8. The 5 WORST Real Estate SEO Practices
With over a billion real estate searches starting on Google each year, thinking through your real estate SEO search strategy is critical for success. To begin mastering SEO, catch up on the five worst things real estate professionals can do for their SEO strategies.

9. Create the Ultimate Listing Package with an RPR Report
REALTORS® know that when you walk into a listing appointment, you must be prepared. You must be sure that your listing presentation educates your soon-to-be clients while connecting with them at the same time. Creating the ultimate listing package is easier than you might think, and perhaps a lot cheaper, too. With RPR, you can visit just one site to prepare the ultimate listing package.

10. How to Draw Home Shoppers to Your Real Estate Site... And Keep Them There
Nine out of 10 homebuyers use the Internet to look for homes, and 52% begin their searches online. And those numbers are growing 22 percent per year. In today's web-driven world, getting a home shopper's attention is more difficult than ever, and your real estate business depends upon it. Luckily there are a number of steps you can take to draw your audience to your web site and keep them clicking.