Should You Have a Chatbot on Your Real Estate Website?
Visitors always have questions to ask, no matter how detailed your website is. And as a skilled real estate agent, responding to them on time is vital, mainly because website visitors quickly divert their attention to something else if they think you can't answer their questions on time. And this might increase your website's bounce rate. You don't want that. Sometimes, corresponding with clients through email might not provide them with the immediate response they want. Thus, to keep up with the communication demands of your clients, a more approachable form of communication through artificial intelligence (AI), such as chatbots, can be handy. What Is a Chatbot? A chatbot is software designed to automatically engage website users to resolve their queries. It is built to replicate human speech and discussions. Sometimes referred to as virtual assistants, chatbots make live chats with clients or prospects more personalized, improving user experience and the overall performance of your real estate business. Benefits of Using a Chatbot on Your Real Estate Website One of the reasons real estate professionals add chatbots to their websites is to improve the end user's experience. To succeed in a competitive market such as real estate, agents have to provide their clients with only the best products or services. Fast response Speed and convenience are two of the most valued assets in today's marketplace. The automated system with chatbots makes responding to clients almost immediate, resolving their queries and answering all their questions. This is a valuable tool, especially for businesses with fewer human resources. Increase sales Not only do chatbots help create excellent customer support, but they can also easily be used to increase sales. For example, Realtors can use information about the users' questions, interests, and preferences to provide recommendations, advice, and offer home search suggestions. Reduced cost While they won't replace human interaction, they can help reduce operational costs by being available all day at no additional charge. In addition, real estate professionals can automate frequently asked questions and conversations for easy access to users. Lead generation Chatbots are designed to identify potential customers, initiate their interest in your products or services, and cultivate a relationship with them. Through the marketing approach used by chatbots, they can collect vital user information while offering business information, thereby generating more leads. 24/7 assistance This point is pretty self-explanatory. Users visit your website at different hours of the day, so having ready support for them at any given time is essential. This is what chatbots provide on your real estate website. All-day assistance offers accessibility and convenience to your customers, thereby reducing bounce rates. Other benefits of using chatbots on your real estate website include: Improved engagement Increased user experience Helps reduce errors Increases customer satisfaction Improves service personalization Versatility Bottom Line There are three main elements involved when using chatbots. They are built to collect information, facilitate human interaction, and, in some cases, substitute human-to-human conversations. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How Real Estate Agents Can Use ChatGPT
Real estate agents are always looking for ways to improve their business and stay ahead of the competition. One tool that can help them do this is ChatGPT, which is a large language model developed by OpenAI. Let's first discuss what ChatGPT is and how it functions. ChatGPT is a machine learning model that uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like text. It can be used for many different things, including responding to questions, writing essays, and even coming up with poetry. It can comprehend and respond to a wide range of questions and prompts because it was trained on a vast amount of text data. ChatGPT has become quite a powerful tool — as of January 2023, the model was said to have over 1 million users and counting, which is incredible considering it was launched on November 30, 2022. The future of AI is bright, and it will be a tool that is useful for people from all industries. In this blog post, we will discuss how real estate agents can use ChatGPT and the benefits it has for their business. Read on to find out more! The ability to save time The ability to save a ton of time is one of ChatGPT's biggest advantages for real estate agents. Agents can concentrate on more crucial tasks that call for their individualized attention and expertise by using the model for tasks such as responding to inquiries and creating property descriptions. The machine learning model can assist agents in boosting their productivity by automating routine tasks like responding to frequently asked questions, creating property descriptions, and creating social media posts. This can free up the agent's time so they can concentrate on more crucial tasks like showing homes and closing deals. In turn, it can also help to build trust and loyalty with clients, which can lead to more referrals and repeat business. The ability to create (in many, many different forms) Property Descriptions ChatGPT can also be used by real estate agents to generate property descriptions. Writing property descriptions can be time-consuming and challenging, particularly if you don't have much writing experience. ChatGPT can assist by generating accurate and interesting property descriptions, which may help draw in more prospective buyers. Social Media Agents can use ChatGPT to assist them in producing interesting content for social media as well! The model can produce posts that are both interesting and educational about the local real estate market, recent sales, and suggestions for home buyers and sellers. This can aid agents in gaining a social media following and drawing in more customers. With ChatGPT, agents can quickly generate high-quality, engaging content that will help them stand out in a crowded market. Improved Quality In connection with the previous two paragraphs, ChatGPT can help agents to improve the quality of their work. By using the model to generate property descriptions and social media posts, agents can ensure that their content is accurate and engaging, which can help attract more potential buyers to a property. Personalized Emails and Messages Additionally, ChatGPT can be used by real estate agents to generate personalized email and message responses to leads and clients. This can help agents to save time and increase their effectiveness in communication. This can be done by inputting information into the chat box within ChatGPT, then the model can make use of the said information to generate a personalized response that is tailored to the individual's needs and interests. The model can also generate emails that contain relevant statistics and information about the local real estate market, which can possibly help to establish the agent as an expert in their field. Additionally, ChatGPT can also be used to generate follow-up emails that are designed to keep the lead engaged and interested in the properties and services that are offered by the agent. This, in turn, can help increase the chances of the lead becoming a client and making a purchase. Talk about a powerful tool! That could be incredibly helpful to any agent who deals with a numerous amount of clients on a daily basis. Marketing Campaigns Agents can create individualized and successful marketing campaigns with the aid of ChatGPT. Agents can develop targeted marketing campaigns that are more likely to turn leads into sales by using the model to analyze data on customer behavior and preferences. This can aid agents in generating more income and expanding their clientele. Using ChatGPT to create personalized marketing campaigns can help real estate agents increase their revenue and grow their business. By targeting the right audience with the right message, agents can ensure that their marketing campaigns are effective and deliver the right results. The possibilities for ChatGPT are endless! We tried playing around with it ourselves, and asked it to explain to real estate agents in the voice of former president Barack Obama. Here's what it created: As the President of the United States, I have seen firsthand the potential of technology to improve our lives in countless ways. One of the most exciting developments I've seen is the rise of ChatGPT, a powerful language model developed by OpenAI. In the world of real estate, ChatGPT can be a game changer. It can help agents automate repetitive tasks and improve their overall efficiency, allowing them to focus on what really matters: closing deals and serving their clients. One way ChatGPT can be used by real estate agents is through natural language processing (NLP) capabilities. This allows agents to communicate with potential clients in a more human-like manner, whether it's through email, text, or on a website chatbot. ChatGPT can be trained to understand and respond to common real estate-related questions, such as property listings, pricing, and availability. This can save agents a significant amount of time and allow them to focus on more important tasks. Another way ChatGPT can be used by real estate agents is through its ability to generate written content. This can include property descriptions, listing descriptions, and even social media posts. With ChatGPT, agents can quickly generate high-quality, engaging content that will help them stand out in a crowded market. ChatGPT can also be used to improve customer service by providing instant answers to common questions and concerns. This can include providing information on local schools, transportation, and other community amenities. In the coming years, I believe we will see more and more industries adopt technologies like ChatGPT. And, I have no doubt that this will lead to a more efficient, productive, and prosperous society for all Americans. This is what I believe, and I will continue to support this kind of innovation and growth in the technology industry. Can you believe that? ChatGPT can even take on the voice of other people and write words on their behalf. How cool is that? In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that real estate agents can use to improve their business. By incorporating the model into their customer service, property descriptions, social media content and personalized responses, agents can save time and improve the quality of their work. As the technology continues to advance, we can expect to see more real estate agents start to adopt ChatGPT and other AI-based tools to help them stay ahead of the competition. To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

How Realtors Should Speak to Their Clients About Home Concierge
Offering home concierge is one way that Realtors are distinguishing themselves from competitors. Even if you aren't familiar with home concierge, you've probably heard the term used in reference to hotels. True home concierge is a service that renovates homes, working with the client from start to finish. This can be a valuable tool for Realtors working with certain clients. Imagine that your client needs work done, but they settle for selling as-is because they've never heard of home concierge. By educating your clients about home concierge as an option to explore, you could be drastically changing their financial situation. In this article, we'll explore various ways to present home concierge services to your clients. Use a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) as the starting point The first step is explaining home concierge to a client without making their head spin. To do this, show them real examples of how it will positively impact their home-selling experience. You can do this by introducing a comparative market analysis with other properties in the area. Show clients that renovated homes in the neighborhood have an increased value which is going to open their eyes more. Afterwards, circle back to their own home and point out specific areas that could be upgraded. The truth is, most buyers are looking for a turnkey home where they could simply move in without doing work to their new property. It's much easier to transition into home concierge services that will take care of renovations this way. Explain how financing works Not everyone has the cash on hand to invest in renovations. Financing is one of the main reasons why a home seller might steer clear of making necessary upgrades that could increase their home's value. That's why explaining how financing actually works with a home concierge is an appealing conversation to have with a client. Home concierges front the renovation costs so that your clients don't need to burn through their own pockets. They know how to make cost-effective repairs in order to maximize the profit once the home sells. Concierge companies treat the process like a home flip. They have refined the rehab process over hundreds of flips, starting with estimates for the project, all the way through completion of work. Their experience gets the job done quickly utilizing their expansive network of contractors and project managers. Since they are financially invested in these flips, they are incentivized to finish flips in a timely manner, enabling them to save on holding costs. Hands-off project management Your clients are probably busy people, they don't want to spend their spare time renovating. It's common for homeowners to ignore necessary renovations because they simply don't have the time to complete a project. It's taxing to do research about the latest trends and learn about how much everything should actually cost. As a Realtor, home concierge is an opportunity to add value by giving your clients time back. A concierge service will manage the project while you build up hype for the newly renovated home. Your client experiences the upside of selling a renovated home without committing their own time to the project. Contractors are already vetted and have tight relationships with a home concierge. Clients don't have to worry about overpaying or making excessive repairs. The concierge company also maps out the budget for projects from start to finish. Everything from design and sourcing materials, to working as a liaison with contractors will already be done for the client. Sell for a profit Who doesn't love hearing about how much money they could potentially make? With a true hands-off experience, the homeowner gets to sit back while everybody goes to work for them. The Realtor does their job on the marketing side, including reaching out to buyer agents and creating before and after renovation pictures. The home concierge takes care of rehabilitation so the home becomes a turnkey property for potential buyers. The end result is a maximized profit for the client once the home is sold. Not to mention, you and the client get updates every step of the way. Provide the ultimate concierge experience Speaking to a client about home concierge services could create a win-win situation for everybody involved. Revive Concierge takes pride in democratizing the sale of homes for homeowners using our experienced renovation system. Revive makes it as easy as possible to map out a renovation plan, finance the project, and maximize profit for homeowners. If you're a Realtor, get in touch with us today and see how we can help create a turnkey home for your clients. To view the original article, visit the Revive blog.

Texting Real Estate Leads and Clients: When is it Appropriate?
Text messaging continues to become more commonly used as a way to communicate with real estate leads and clients — but is it always appropriate? While sending text messages to real estate leads and clients can be convenient, if it's done in the wrong manner it can be detrimental to a working relationship or even appear to be lazy and unprofessional. Real estate agents need to be careful when deciding when to send a text message instead of emailing or calling leads and clients, so we've compiled some pros and cons to help you decide. The Pros Quick Response Time: If your day gets busier than you'd expected and need to follow up with someone quickly, text messaging can be a great way to let someone know you'll get back to them as soon as you can. This way you can also set up a good call time that works for both you and your lead or client. Nurture New Relationships: Using different channels to get and stay in touch with leads can help you nurture your relationships. Text messaging can make it easier for potential leads to communicate with you if they aren't yet comfortable with a phone call. Texting can also be very helpful in setting up a call time, checking in or even keeping in touch after a closing. Keeping up with Millennials: The millennial generation is a very tech savvy group of future buyers who rely heavily on their cell phones and mobile devices for communication. So if you're not comfortable with texting just yet — we suggest learning how to as soon as you can! Utilizing this form of communication will help your business in the long run. The Cons Miscommunication: One of the major downfalls of text messages is that often times messages can be misconstrued or come off in the wrong tone of voice. Be careful in how you write your text messages to leads and clients in order to come off professional and positive. If you feel like something may be misunderstood over text, it's probably best to set up a call. Informal Communication: Text messaging is a very informal way of communicating with someone. When working with leads and clients, be leery of the times you are sending text messages as well as their content, so as not to come off unprofessional. This is most likely the biggest financial transaction in one's life and should be treated as such by a real estate professional. Finding a good balance between texting, emailing and speaking with leads and clients on the phone will help you nurture your professional relationships and grow your real estate business. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

How ChatGPT Can Help You Generate Real Estate Marketing Ideas
The future is here—and it wants to help with your real estate marketing strategy. Well, "wants" may be a strange word. After all, we're talking about artificial intelligence (AI). And while this AI may not technically "want" to do anything, it's certainly capable of helping you generate marketing ideas and even real estate copy. That's what innovative Realtor Jaime Resendiz has discovered. He uses an AI bot known as ChatGPT to, well, chat and have a dialogue that results in all kinds of marketing ideas. Jaime uses ChatGPT to come up with ideas (and some text) for: Social media Blog posts Video scripts Listing descriptions Real estate ads And more! Watch the video above to learn how you can leverage ChatGPT in your business—and work smarter, not harder in 2023!

Realtor Lingo: Do You Know What You Are Saying?
What are you talking about? Every day you get ready to represent home buyers and sellers because you are a real estate professional. MLS listing protocols are second nature, determining a competitive listing price is easy with accurate measurements and writing up contracts is part of your routine. But how often are you using terms that you think you know but are not necessarily synonymous? Realtor lingo can confuse the consumer if you don't know what you are saying. Check to see if you are making any of these common mistakes with your listings. Schematic vs. floor plan Floor plans are essential when listing and marketing a property. Accurate measurements of every space help potential buyers understand the fit and flow of a home. Floor plans identify the location of doorways, partition walls, cabinets, and windows. When advanced measurements are included, you can measure distances between arbitrary points in 3D space. Are you using floor plans or just a simple schematic? What exactly is a schematic? So here's the thing. A schematic is a basic outline of the building with exterior or interior measurements around the perimeter. Think of a schematic as the "bones" of the home and the floor plan as the entire skeleton complete with all the connecting parts. To understand the function of the entire unit, a homebuyer must be able to visualize how they will live there—a task that is difficult at best with just a few simple lines of a schematic! Video vs. 3D virtual tour 3D virtual tours are must-haves for both showing the seller how you market their home and for the buyer to get up close and personal with each space. Virtual tours enhance the viewers' experience by allowing them to explore rooms as if they were physically at the property. Online access to 3D virtual tours lets the consumer enjoy their visit in their own time. Perhaps they forgot what type of finishing was on the floor or windows after their in-person viewing. Enter the 3D virtual tour to help refresh their memory, create a lasting image and form an emotional connection with the home. When you want to know if they lingered for a while, check your analytics to see the date, time and duration of all visitors. Real estate agents can host 3D tours as part of a virtual showing. Take control of the way the property is presented by adding commentary on important aspects of the home. Conversely, a video is just a video. Video is a mini movie created to entertain but without the ability to control where to focus your attention. Think of video as going to the theater. You want to see what is hiding behind the doorway, but you are not in the director's seat. Financing vs. mortgage Getting your buyer approved for a mortgage is important. Factors that influence the appraised value of a home are floor plan measurements, location, market conditions and comparable properties. Mortgage appraisals for Fannie Mae now require measurements to follow the ANSI-Z765-2021 for calculating and reporting gross living area. You can help speed up the process with an iGUIDE® that supplies everything you need to market a property and is ANSI-Z765-2021 compliant. Financing is often the largest hurdle a buyer has to get over before completing a purchase. But while financing can come in the form of a mortgage, financing is not just a mortgage. Buyers often choose alternative methods to purchase a home when they are not paying cash. Line of credits, personal loans and seller financing are a few other options buyers have. While a traditional mortgage is the normal course of business, regardless of how the buyer acquires funding for a home, they will benefit from floor plans, a certified appraisal and 3D virtual tours when applying for insurance or planning for any future renovations. Fixtures vs. chattels A fixture by real estate definition is something that is attached to the home. Fixtures can be seen throughout a 3D virtual tour and identified by whether or not they are physically attached to a floor, ceiling or wall. Attached items are things like cabinets, light fixtures, and items that are physically plumbed in. Real estate agents may refer to appliances as kitchen fixtures, but in reality, many of the appliances in a kitchen are easily removed by simply unplugging them from an electrical outlet. The rule of thumb is that an item that is not attached and can be easily removed from a home is a chattel. Why is this important? Permanent fixtures form part of the property and are to remain when the home is sold. Avoid a homebuyer being surprised on closing day when the kitchen chattels are missing by including the moveable chattels in the purchase contract. Knowing when to use the correct terminology and technology can go a long way in your real estate marketing. Winning listings is more than a little small talk, it's about communicating clearly. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.

Leverage Your Inbox to Cultivate Leads and Repeat Business
We've all heard that staying engaged with past clients is a phenomenal way for real estate agents to nurture their real estate business. But what does that mean when it comes to your inbox? Email templates and a catchy subject line? Should you be sending your past customers constant emails about their dream home being listed, or just sending them a friendly celebratory email for their birthday? Maybe they have a friend or family member they've mentioned on Facebook or Instagram who's looking for a home — should you reach out just to see if you can help them in their search? Could you even send them a follow-up email about a school in their district that's holding a meet-and-greet event for new parents in the area? The answer is: Do it all. Reach out, even if nothing's going on As a real estate agent, you understand how imperative it is to build connections and keep them going. Staying in touch with your client base, even if they're settled in their homes and not searching for a change, is a great way to maintain a relationship and build credibility as a trusted source for all things real estate. By casually reaching out, you stimulate memory of the interactions they've had with you, reminding them that you helped them during an extremely stressful and pivotal time. Anyone within their immediate sphere of influence then becomes a prospective buyer or seller capable of perpetuating further lead growth for your business. Utilize real estate email templates Email templates are everywhere. Whether for real estate, general marketing ideas, proposals, newsletters for community events, etc., there's an email template ready and waiting. Use them. Not only do they save time, but they can have a fairly positive effect on your stress levels. In fact, using an email template set to a steady drip campaign can free anywhere from two to eight hours of your time per week, leaving you available for that last minute open house or to explore a new local market for a client. Specific email templates geared toward agents also give ideas on how to set up an open house invitation, present housing market data and generate buzz around your personal brand by using proven design and content strategies with your personal branding. It's okay to be human It doesn't matter if you use a template or craft an email from scratch, it's essential to connect with your clients on a human level. For example, if you had a past client who needed more nurturing reach out, try engaging with them on a gentler level by asking how they are, changing your punctuation usage and possibly adding a few emojis here and there. Showing empathy, even in an email, is a great way to build a positive connection with you and real estate, negating some of the more stressful facets of the transactions. If you decide to use a template, try adding general interest information about home design, the buying process, things to do at home or anything else that displays you as a thoughtful expert in your area. Your inbox is a simple yet powerful relationship online meeting tool. It's excellent for engaging established clients, prospecting new buyers/sellers and just staying generally connected with the homeowner community. There are also great learning opportunities that allow you to leverage your emails more effectively, displaying proven strategies and techniques to increase open rates, save money and thoughtfully engage with your contacts. Interested in more tips and tricks to master your email marketing? Dig in deeper with this FREE DOWNLOAD Your free AWESOME EMAIL MARKETING GUIDE will give you more ideas on how to use your inbox and email marketing strategies to stay in touch with past clients so you can create repeat business, as well as generating new and referral leads. Need help with leveraging email marketing to cultivate more business? Elm Street Technology does the work for you and offers solutions that help you stay in touch with past clients so you can generate referral leads and repeat business. Connect with an Elm Street Technology Success Coach today to learn more.

7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do with Gmail
Gmail is great for sending, receiving and efficiently organizing email. But did you know that there's a ton of baked-in functionality that you may not know about? For example, real estate agents can set up pre-written responses to quickly reply to clients and leads. And, a new Gmail feature lets you use layouts pre-designed by Google to make whatever you send out look as professional and polished as possible. Watch the video above to learn more about these hidden Gmail features and see simple tutorials for setting up the following: Pre-schedule sending emails Multiple email signatures Sync contacts to your CRM Create an email alias Create canned responses Use pre-designed layouts Send a newsletter Leverage these tips, and you'll soon be using Google's excellent email tool to its fullest!

New Study Reveals Increased Transparency on Commissions Leads to Increased Value in Consumers' Eyes
WAV Group's new Buyer Agent Commission Study reveals many insights from buyers about their awareness, understanding and appreciation of how commissions work when buying a home. Chief among these insights is the undeniable connection between transparency and perceived value on the part of home buyers. Those who indicated they were "totally clear" about the commission paid were 59% more likely to think their agent "completely earned the commission" than those who were unclear. In general, the large majority of buyers were satisfied with the services they received from their agent (88%). Buying a home in any market can be complicated. No two transactions are exactly the same, and something always comes up right when you think all is clear. With this many moving parts, buyers appreciate clear communication and prompt responses. As one buyer indicated in the open-end questions, "My agent showed me many many houses and answered every phone call and email and text quickly and with answers I was able to understand. She walked me through every step of the process." Buyers recognize how hard it is to successfully purchase a home, especially in the recent housing market. They are appreciative and grateful for the creativity and hard work their agents deliver to help them successfully purchase a home. Agents earn their commission, and home buyers recognize that. Get the full report now. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

How to Ask for Real Estate Referrals
Word-of-mouth marketing generates more leads than any other. As every Realtor knows, asking for referrals is crucial to boosting your businesses growth rate. In fact, 84% of Realtors we recently polled said referrals were the greatest source of increasing sales. But how do you ask for referrals in a way that is authentic and effective? Many people aren't sure how to begin writing a referral or know exactly what you are asking for. Providing them with examples or past referrals can help drive action and give them a template for tone, length, and content. And like many things in life, timing is everything. Send Periodic Follow-up Messages to Past Clients Perhaps the most crucial way to obtain real estate referrals is by staying in touch with past clients. There are probably plenty of people in your sphere of influence that would love to refer you to friends, but simply need to know your best contact information. This is where CRM software that can improve your communication with clients while keeping track of every customer in your greater contacts list comes in. Use Referral Cards and Run Referral Contests When sending a handwritten thank you note to clients, either at or immediately after closing, add an incentive in the form of a referral card that can be exchanged for a physical or digital gift card or gift certificate, ranging from Amazon.com to a local restaurant. Incentives drive action, and if the real estate transaction was favorable, clients are more likely to recommend you to a close friend, colleague, or family member. Some agents have had great luck (and great fun) with referral contests that reward clients with a tiered-level of incentives based on the quantity and quality of referrals they provide in person and on social media. Before implementing a referral contest, be sure to review your social media channels, website, and Google Business page and verify links are not broken and that your contact information is correct. Stay Involved in Your Community If possible, donate or sponsor community events like community theater, sporting events, or fundraisers. Not only are you helping to make the events possible and successful, you are building brand awareness for yourself and your business. While not asking for referrals directly at the event, you can promote and display your best referrals on promotional materials and your social media pages that promote and share the event in print and digitally. Use a Real Estate CRM A real estate CRM not only helps you get more referrals, but it also helps you track referrals more effectively, increasing your odds of converting them to clients – whether it's right away or down the road. What you do with your referrals, specifically how you manage and keep in touch with them, can make a significant impact on your business. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

4 Top Communication Tips for Your Real Estate Clients
Real estate is a social industry. In this business, strong communication skills can carry you a long way. As an agent, a key strategy for converting leads and streamlining transactions with active buyers and sellers is to prioritize clear, efficient communication with your real estate clients. Why Is Communication So Important for Real Estate Success? As the industry continues to migrate online and more transactions are digital-first, it's becoming more important than ever for agents to improve their communication with clients. We've likely all had experiences where a stalling communication results in missed opportunities or slow-moving transactions. At the same time, you've likely also had an experience where saying the right thing at the right time was the perfect move — and you were able to land a deal, convert a lead, or win a negotiation for one of your clients. In many cases, communication is the "make it or break it" moment for real estate success. To mitigate the effects of poor communication and access the benefits of direct conversations, today's agents should spend some time honing their interactions with their spheres. Here are four tips that can help you enhance your communication and boost your business in 2022 and beyond. 1. Share Facts Buyers and sellers look to their agents to be a source of insight, guidance, and real estate knowledge. When you're communicating with your active clients, make sure that you're sharing valuable educational resources with them. Rather than simply advising your client on what next steps to take, make every interaction a learning opportunity by sharing the logic and thinking behind each strategy. For example, you might be advising a buyer client to include a personal letter, escalation clause, and earnest money in their offer. Instead of sharing directions, step into the role of a teacher by quickly outlining why these steps are necessary. In this situation, you might want to speak a little bit about the current state of the market and explain how the high demand may invite a multiple offer situation. Then, you'd want to define each offer-strengthening strategy so the client understands why they're doing what they're doing. This makes it easier for them to follow the transaction, and allows them to take part in strategic decision-making and negotiations. Pro Tip: Always have detailed and valuable market information at the ready! You need to know the facts to share them with your clients. Make sure that you're referencing up-to-the-minute market data and clearly communicating it to clients. 2. Improve Your Listening Skills If you want to provide the highest quality service to your clients, you need to understand them. Learning about your client's needs and fears will allow you to curate your decision-making and set the right strategy to meet the client's unique goals. You'll need to develop a trust-based, open, and honest dialogue with your clients. That requires active listening — where you don't assume you know everything, and instead, deeply listen to what the client is saying. In many cases, you may have to read between the lines to get to the bottom of what your client is expressing. Pro Tip: When speaking to a client, slow down and settle in. Don't plan out what you're going to say next when the client is speaking to you. Instead, drop your assumptions and simply listen. Remember, buying and selling a home can be an emotional journey. As an agent, you need to be able to support, guide, and counsel your clients through the experience. 3. Avoid Transaction Pitfalls Certain steps of a transaction introduce risks and issues that can be harder to overcome than others. Agents, always stay aware of common transaction pitfalls and take extra precautions throughout the transaction process to avoid them. Key Pitfalls to Watch: Property Inspections Appraisals Loan Approval Offer Making Negotiations Closing Walkthrough When approaching each of these key moments, make sure that your client is prepared and informed. Sharing best practices in advance of these pitfalls can help streamline the process and improve your client's transaction experiences. Pro Tip: Consider sending out an email before each of these major transaction events that outlines the upcoming process, shares tips, and tells clients what to look out for. This will both educate and inform your clients so they can take the actions required to drive success and mitigate risks. 4. Be Honest Agents need to maintain professional integrity. One of the most important things to consider when providing service to buyers and sellers is honesty. Never manipulate data to push a seller or buyer in a particular direction if you don't genuinely think that it's in their best interest. If you do recommend a certain strategy, but the client is resistant, be encouraging without being pushy. Communication between agents and clients should always be respectful, positive, and transparent. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Do You Know These 10 Real Estate and Tech Acronyms? Test Your Knowledge.
"We need more real estate acronyms," said no real estate professional or consumer -- ever. Historically, the real estate industry has been a bastion of Alphabet Soup. Think about how long we have been saying "NAR" (50 years), "FNMA" pronounced as Fannie Mae (84 years), and "MLS" (~100 years)! Integrating technology into the daily lives of real estate agents has accelerated the proliferation of acronyms. Thank goodness for Google – but then again, some of these acronyms are sometimes even hard to Google because they are specific to real estate. So here is a modern little list of 10 real estate and tech acronyms every real estate agent needs to know: ARV: After-repair value. With the advent of a new category in real estate called "Concierge Services," the use of ARV is becoming commonplace. Concierge startups such as Revive Real Estate and Curbio can help sellers quickly renovate now and pay at closing to maximize their home sales. AVM: Automated Valuation Model. Zillow and its zestimates may have popularized the term AVM, but today, there are dozens of alternative online estimates. Some are leveraging computer learning and artificial intelligence to estimate home values better and inching closer to the values created from a full in-person appraisal. As a result, the term AVM will only get more popular. CoCR: Cash-on-cash return. The recent rapid increase in real estate values will likely result in more of your sellers becoming interested in real estate investment. In real estate, CoCR calculates the cash income earned on the cash invested in the property. This is a math calculation: divide the net cash flow by the total cash invested. Here's a great example of how it works on Investopedia. DeFi: Decentralized Finance. The metaverse, crypto, and blockchain may be down, but they are not out. Even traditionalists see value emerging from blockchain use, and DeFi is one of them. For example, instead of a traditional bank providing a loan to purchase real estate, DeFi potentially offers the ability to finance a real estate transaction, either paid by Bitcoin or providing a mortgage. The difference is that the review for approval and funding would be nearly instant. And unlike a traditional mortgage, one could potentially sell off fractional shares of their property to pay off the mortgage. That may seem far-fetched, but consider that the second home firm Pacaso is modeled after 1/8th fractional share ownership. Read more about DeFi here. LLC: Limited Liability Corporation. Real estate investors have embraced LLCs since their creation in 1977. Today, the term is becoming more mainstream as creative real estate startups are using the LLC structure to help sellers buy their next home before selling their current home. Other firms are using the LLC structure to create their 1/8 ownership model, allowing eight different sets of buyers to own real estate. NFC: Near-field communications. If you have seen others share their contact info with a tap of their phones, you have witnessed NFC in action. For real estate, NFC potentially has more opportunities than delivering a digital business card. For example, marketing-enabled NFC "smart signs" allow shoppers to interact with your For Sale sign from their mobile phones. In the UK, agents give out branded, NFC-enabled keyrings for a listing. Then, as they tour, the NFC technology can share floor plans, photos, and more – before they even leave the property. Think of it as a wireless thumb drive. NBIC: Nanotechnology, biology, information technology, and cognitive science. Researchers look at NBIC as "converging technologies for improving human performance." In a nutshell, advancement in these areas is overlapping more and more. NBIC's goals are to enable human populations to be stronger, healthier, and more capable. Relevance to real estate? Sustainability issues that impact housing and other real estate development. For example, the Bartlett School of Architecture at the University of London is modeling coursework for systems architecture that uses NBIC to address sustainability challenges. Among the direct impacts: a new generation of smart materials used to construct buildings and, eventually, homes. NOO: Non-owner occupied. Most agents are familiar with this lender classification, which means the owner does not occupy the property as a primary residence; it is considered a rental property. Effectively, risks are higher with non-owner occupied property, meaning lender interest rates are higher than those for a primary residence. The increase in NOO property, especially in single-family homes, has exploded with the growth of both individual and institutional investors. RESO: Real Estate Standards Organization. Think of these folks as real estate's "Rosetta Stone." RESO makes it possible for all the data collected from hundreds of different Multiple Listing Services to be standardized. For example, their work makes MLS data usable in the national mobile apps consumers use to search for properties. RESO is to real estate as the IEEE is to Bluetooth. RESO may be invisible to most agents and their clients, but real estate transactions are improving from the standardized data work that RESO volunteers – it's a nonprofit – are doing. SaaS: Software as a Service. You can thank the internet, or the "cloud," for the massive proliferation today of SaaS firms and the subscription services you now pay to use your favorite software. SaaS caused the death of the software CD. Today, the most popular software is delivered and accessed through the cloud. In real estate, most technology is SaaS, from transaction management platforms to Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) solutions. What's your favorite real estate or technology acronym? Please share yours with us for a potential future story by emailing us at [email protected] And if one of tech-specific acronyms is causing you some difficulty, feel free to reach out and ask us for help at techhelpline.com. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.

Textiquette for Real Estate Agents 101
More and more reports are showing that Americans prefer text messages to phone calls. In fact, The Chicago Tribune reported Americans spend a reported 26 minutes a day texting, compared to six minutes on phone calls. With mobile devices, the lines between professional and personal worlds get a bit blurred. And as a real estate agent, you may be wondering how your texts should look, sound, and when to send them. In this post, we'll get down to the do's and don'ts of texting as a real estate professional. The Do's and Don'ts of Texting for Real Estate Agents 1. Don't Get Sloppy Just because you are sending a lead or client a text, instead of a formal email, does not mean all proper grammar and punctuation go out the window. Pro Tip: If you are constantly fighting auto-correct in your text messages, turn it off from your phone's settings. You'll save yourself time and lessen mistakes if your spelling and grammar is already up to par. 2. Don't Text Late at Night Just because people bring their smartphones with them everywhere does not mean they want to be contacted whenever. Leave conversations via phone calls and texting for normal business hours (unless, of course, the contact states otherwise). 3. Don't Use Weird Emojis You don't need to use all 3000+ emojis just because you own a smartphone. Play it safe and use emojis that can be easily interpreted, such as a smiley face, thumbs up, or a house emoji. It can be difficult to read meaning through the internet, so play it safe. 4. Do Ask for Permission Before you begin texting your contact, ask if they prefer text, phone calls or emails. They'll appreciate you asking, and you will benefit from communicating according to their preferences. 5. Do Keep It Short Save lengthy messages for email. No one appreciates a long-winded text message related to business on their personal phone. It can be difficult to store that information for later and it involves stopping your day to read the message. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

The 3 Best Times to Ask for Real Estate Referrals
One of the best types of real estate leads to generate are referrals. That's because they're easy to convert compared to other lead sources such as Facebook or Google. Despite that, some agents are hesitant to ask for a referral in fear of inconveniencing their past clients, family, or friends. There's no need to fear! Here, we break down the top three best times to ask for a referral. 1. When You First Start Working with a Client You should ask early in the relationship when emotions are at their most positive. When a person decides they are ready to buy or sell a home, their friends and family know much earlier than a real estate agent does. They talk about it with their network, and even go on social media to ask for recommendations for agents. The early stages of your relationship with your clients are a great time to ask if they know anybody else who may be looking to buy or sell real estate. 2. When You Place a Property Under Contract Here is another highlight in your personal relationship with your clients. Once the property is under contract, you are almost there! Your real estate clients are (hopefully) happy with your level of service. Not asking for referrals is a missed opportunity. Don't miss out on business by always asking for a referral. 3. When You Close the Transaction Job well done! This should be the most obvious time to ask for a referral. Don't make this the only time, though. This is also a great time to ask for a testimonial, which can lead to a better online reputation. Getting into the habit of asking for referrals at EACH of these three opportunities can impact your business much more than asking just once. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

4 Free Virtual Editors that Can Improve Your Writing
Have you ever rushed to send a client an important email, only to realize you made crucial punctuation or embarrassing grammatical error right after hitting the "send" button? We've all faced that frustration. But there's a simple solution that technology can fix for you! Increasing in popularity, artificial intelligence-based virtual editors, such as Grammarly and others, can immediately identify errors as you type. As a real estate professional, do you realize the benefits of ensuring your communications are error-free? According to the National Association of Realtors, 95% of agents use email daily or nearly every day. In addition, email is the preferred communication method for 89% of all clients. More importantly, strong communications skills are crucial to what clients expect from today's agent. Using a virtual editor can save you from struggling with grammar and punctuation. Even if you're a talented agent with excellent writing skills, you'll know that everyone makes mistakes, and these new tools can help you catch a minor error you missed before hitting send. How virtual editors work A virtual editor is similar to a word processor as they both allow you to generate, edit, and save text documents on your computer. Powered by artificial intelligence, this new tool predicts the edits you make for your text based on your use of language and writing style. As it takes in the data of written work, the AI built into a virtual editor can understand Natural Language Processing (NLP) and can comprehend written words like a human does. The more writing you do with a virtual editor – because it uses machine learning ­– the more intelligent, more robust, and accurate it becomes over time. A virtual editor develops the ability to edit your prose by checking the tone of the writing and then offers ideas and alternative word choices to improve the clarity of your content. It basically becomes your full-time copy editor. The benefits of virtual editors Having virtual editing software is easy to add to any computer. Versions exist for both PC and Mac operating systems. First, a virtual editor doesn't just highlight your spelling and grammatical errors but also shows you how to correct them by providing solutions, and often more than one option, with a click of a button. Its error checking is faster than using a standard word processing program, offering revised sentences, different word choices, and corrected punctuation – all to increase efficiency and save you time. The second benefit of virtual editors is that they can help you improve your vocabulary. Virtual editors will point out if your word choice is weak or if you are using a particular word too often or are repeating one in the same sentence. It instantly suggests alternative words that improve your writing flow. Virtual editors can also "teach" you better writing skills by helping you avoid poor writing habits. For example, it highlights the weaker use of passive voice to suggest rewriting in the active voice. In addition, it offers alternative phrasing to shorten your sentence structure and tighten your communication. It also helps by providing absent transitions to improve the readability of your writing. Finally, virtual editors are user-friendly, and some offer options to work on mobile devices. They are also compatible with the most popular browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Others can work inside your email program to help you write crystal clear communications to customers. Lots of choices While the most well-known virtual editor program is Grammarly, and it is by far the leader in its category, there are other choices. Some, including Grammarly, offer a free version. Programs such as ProWritingAid function similarly to Grammarly, but it works to enhance the flow of your writing and provides stats based on sentence structure and vocabulary. In addition, ProWritingAid also contains several unique implements, such as a built-in thesaurus for offering different synonyms. Finally, it offers a free Chrome extension and more than 20 types of detailed graphics that help analyze your writing style. On the downside, the full versions of ProWritingAid are expensive and incompatible with mobile devices. There's also Wordtune, which is easy to use and is powered by an AI that will automatically show rewriting suggestions to improve the clarity of your writing. This virtual editor will also detect if your writing tone sounds casual or formal and centers on shortening or expanding your text when needed. It's a significant advantage: you can add it to your Chrome browser as an extension. That means it will work on Gmail, Google Docs, Outlook Web, and social media platforms. However, there's no desktop app, and it's not available for mobile or offline use. Another option provided is Readable, which like its namesake, works to improve the readability of your prose. By analyzing your text, it points out grammatical and spelling errors, along with signs of weak writing such as run-on sentences. Like Grammarly, it also scores your writing in real-time based on how easy it is for your audience to read your writing. Readable then explains how you can improve it. However, Readable does not offer a free version, so after a seven-day trial period, you'll have to pay to continue to use this virtual editor. Protip: Grammarly's premium and business versions can be expensive, but you can buy them at a significant discount through a website such as StackSocial, often offered at about half-off the standard price. A hidden bonus Perhaps the best thing about using a virtual editor is that you forget it is even there after a while, like autofill. You come to expect it to catch minor errors, and it's likely to help you correct some bad writing habits. In the end, by using a virtual editor, your clients receive clear and accurate communications from you. This matches what your clients expect when they hire a professional to help them with the most significant transaction in their lives. If you need help installing or setting up a virtual editor, contact Tech Helpline, and an analyst can walk you through what you need to know. To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.

The Introverted Real Estate Agent's Guide to Networking
Everybody thinks that all real estate agents are outgoing, talkative, and lack inhibition (in a good way, of course). While that may be true about some of the population, real estate agents come from all walks of life. One demographic you might be surprised that exists in real estate are introverts—and you'd be surprised at how effective introverts can be at networking. Are you the type of person that is "shy until I get to know somebody," then you might be an introvert. Introverts might not be the best at commanding the attention of an entire room, but they are experts at building authentic relationships with their potential clients. If you are an extrovert, some of these tips may offer perspective or even give you an alternative strategy for networking! Don't Go to Networking Events Networking events are filled with people that want to meet as many people as possible for future possible collaborations. You might not thrive in this environment, because there are many people that come to these events to increase the quantity of their network, not necessarily the quality. Instead, you should attend events that you enjoy where networking opportunities are present. Meeting a lender at a networking event is great, but being in the same bowling league as somebody who happens to be a lender is even better. Wear Something You Get Complimented on Often Do you get complimented on that fancy red scarf? Or your floral necktie? Wear that more often! This will make it more likely that people will initiate conversation with you, instead of the other way around. Think of your fashion as a fishing hook. Once you get a compliment, reel them in with a short story. "Thanks, I'm wearing it because _________." Then continue the conversation from there! Get People to Talk About Themselves Getting people to talk is about themselves is a great tool to have in your toolbelt. This will help prospects become more comfortable in sharing information with you. As a person starts talking more about themselves, you will be able to gauge if that person is likely to move soon and thus become a buyer or seller! Some easy questions to ask are: What brings you here? What are you hoping to get out of this? What do you have going on right now? Be the Connector When it comes to networking, most people will be in it for themselves. It really stands out if you do something for others. After getting to know people on a more personal level, everybody else you meet is an opportunity to connect people. The more you are the connector, the more you become the connective tissue in this mini-community you inadvertently created. Everybody knows each other through you, so when one of their friends or family is ready to buy a home, you will be the first person they recommend. They will remember the value you brought into their lives by introducing that plumber, contractor, fellow sports fan, etc., into their life. Use Facebook! Social networks are a goldmine for introverts. By posting content that people can engage with, or engaging with other people's content, you can get to know people and build a stronger rapport for when you meet them in real life. A great place to start adding comments is on posts from your local news station about local areas. You don't need to comment about real estate, just your thoughts on whatever topic they are talking about. The more people see you, the more people you are engaging with, the more they are likely to work with you! To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

28 Topics to Theme Your Real Estate Newsletters
Real estate newsletters can be very effective in connecting and engaging with your lead database. Whether you send email or hardcopy newsletters, it's always important to give your readers valuable content, so they associate your name and brand with helpful information. Since inboxes tend to flood with emails on a daily basis, newsletters should be unique and catchy. When creating newsletters, you can use several tactics to make your message stand out, one of which is by theming your content or message. Here are some topics to help you brainstorm and get started! Real Estate Newsletter Topics: 2022 Real Estate Trends to Be Aware Of Predicted Buyer Profiles of 2022 Predicted Mortgage Rate Trends for 2022 Real Estate Scams to Be Cautious Of Safety Tips for Homeowners When Is the Right Time to Sell or Buy? Latest Trends in New Construction Local Real Estate Trends (TIP: Tailor your content to the local market to provide relevance) Local Community Events DIY Design Tips to Update Your Home Fix-It Tips For Small Projects Around the House DIY Tips for Landscaping Your Backyard Best Practices for Keeping Your Home in Good Shape with Pets What to Look for When Shopping for a New Home First-Time Buyer Advice Green Home Tips Selling Scams to Be Cautious Of Feature a Luxury Listing Interior Design Trends Moving Tips - Recommend any companies? Home Staging Trends Common Selling Questions and Answers Top Reasons to Move Open House Advice What to Look for in a Seller's Agent How to Increase the Value of Your Home Seasonal Tips for Selling a Property Holiday/Season Inspired Pro tip: Try creating your newsletter as a real estate infographic. Readers are drawn to images over text, keeping them engaged longer! Whether you're informing leads about real estate trends, DIY tips or buyer and seller insights, make sure to provide compelling newsletter content (like these!) that your readers will find valuable. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Why Real Estate Agents Should Prioritize Meaningful Outreach
Not all follow-up is good follow-up! It's 2022 and consumer demand is high. People expect Amazon speed combined with boutique service. Your outreach needs to be specific, high-converting -- and never generic or impersonal. Creating Custom, Lead-Specific Outreach In today's market, you need to be "listening" to what your leads are doing online. You should know how they're engaging with your site, allowing you to send them a customized outreach based on their activity. For example, if you know that a prospect is spending more time on the landing pages with one of your property listings — continually visiting, scrolling, and spending large amounts of time on the page — you'd understand that they are favoring this property over competing options. Access to your website data can help you leverage value-driven outreach plans. When you do follow up with that lead, you can promote the listing that they have been eyeing and prompt them to set up an appointment with you to discuss their position further. Do This → You might send an outreach email saying: Hello! If you're planning on buying a home in X market, you should check out this listing. It includes all of the amenities and features that you mentioned you're looking for, and it's at a great price. To help us better understand your specific needs and circumstances as a homebuyer, would you like to set up an appointment? We can speak more about X listing and develop a custom strategy to see if purchasing that listing is a viable investment for you. Text or call me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX, or send me an email so we can book a quick meeting. Looking forward to hearing from you! Not That → Compare this targeted, hyper-focused email that speaks to the lead's existing preferences to a bland, generic email asking them to browse the listings on your site. Pro Tip: Always prioritize value. Your outreach needs to grab the attention of your website traffic and offer them something of real value. Including the address and photos of the listing that one of your leads seems to be interested in is more likely to increase the efficiency of your follow-up. By offering them the chance to speak with you about their ability to purchase the house, the lead has a lot to gain by making the appointment with you — and you're one step closer to landing a new deal. Using Meaningful Outreach to Build Relationships You already know that capturing a lead's business typically comes after multiple touchpoints. As you're moving your leads through the sales funnel, meaningful outreach will give you to chance to build trust, credibility, and provide a preview of your services. Let's say one of your internet leads is spending a lot of time online calculating a loan. If you're observing how your internet traffic is behaving on your website, you'd be aware of their focus on loan-related topics — giving you a strong edge to move forward with. When it's time for you to reach out to that lead, you can speak directly to their needs. Even if they are not yet ready to buy, you can offer them helpful tips and information about financing their upcoming purchase. Do This → You'd be able to send an outreach email saying: Hello! I hope your home buying preparations are going well. I wanted to share a few helpful pieces of information regarding mortgage loans and home financing. Did you know that there are loans with low down payment requirements and low-interest rates for qualifying buyers? I've attached resources with more information that may help you. I've also included a list of questions that you should ask as you're looking for a lender to work with. If you have any specific questions or would like guidance as you take the first steps to secure financing, I would love to assist you. Let's book an appointment to speak soon. I've copied my upcoming availabilities below. Let me know what works for you and we'll move forward. I'll bring additional loan resources to our meeting as they will help you moving forward. Not That → If you had just sent an outreach email about your home buying and selling services, you would have missed out on the chance to touch on a real, pressing concern of your lead. Pro Tip: Even when you share helpful resources and real estate guides in an outreach email, always offer more with the catch of booking an appointment with you. This will incentivize your leads to keep their appointments since they'll receive custom tips and information by attending. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

30 Real Estate Email Subject Lines that Entice Leads
Email marketing isn't dead, you may need to just revamp your current campaign. When buyer and seller leads are navigating through their inbox or spam folders, they're deciding in seconds whether an email is worth their time. In fact, one study found 69% of email recipients report email as spam, based on the subject line alone. Email subject lines are a huge component of successful email campaigns. Subject lines, if done correctly, will entice readers to open your emails, not mark them as spam. Use this list of real estate email subject lines to increase your email open rates: Personalization This list of email subject lines will help you get started with a successful campaign. Personalized subject lines are designed to make your audience think they have met you previously. When a reader thinks an email might be from someone they know, as opposed to spam, they'll be much more likely to open it. Quick Question "Insert Name" Referred Me to You Let's Meet Up for [Insert Activity] on [Insert Date] One More Thing Let's get together [insert date] I have to ask I called, you didn't answer I missed you last week You weren't home, so I left a message How about next [MTWTFSS]? I need your opinion [insert name] how have you been? Similar Interest These subject headers will entice leads due to the fact that they are currently looking for or selling a home. Including a lead's target market within the subject line will increase their interest, as they can work with a limited number of agents serving that neighborhood. I Heard You're Looking for a Home What You Should Know About the [insert target market] Housing Market Why other agents can't help you Prices are [increasing/decreasing] in [insert target market] Up and coming neighborhoods in [insert target market] Here's where you should buy/sell in [insert target market] I can help you [buy/sell your home] Mystery It's true that when you're unsure of who or where an email came from, you'll be more likely to open it. That email could be from a former colleague, a new job opportunity or a distant friend. Ambiguous emails entice the reader to find out who the sender is. [A Blank Subject Line] Where do we go from here? We don't know what's next We've got you covered It's better if you didn't know Here's Your Private Invite Urgency Urgency is used in many different marketing tactics—think of 24-hour sales or limited edition items. The email header should make leads feel like they might miss out on a opportunity if they do not open your email. Almost There's still time It begins today It ends today Things are heating up in [insert target market] Why you should buy/sell now in [insert target market] Another huge aspect of lead conversion from email campaigns is response rate. Studies show that leads are four times more likely to convert into a client, when you respond within the first five minutes. After the first 30 minutes, leads are 21 times less likely to convert. Happy emailing! To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Friday Freebie: 67 Text Message Templates that Get Replies
Emails can be missed, phone calls can be screened, but text messages? With a 90% open rate, they have one of the highest engagement levels of any type of communication. But just because a real estate lead is likely to read your text doesn't mean they'll respond to it. How can you up your chances for starting a conversation with real estate leads over text? This week's Friday Freebie to the rescue! Today, we're highlighting a collection of 67 text message templates that are designed to reach leads and initiate a response. Read on to find out more. Free copy of 67 Text Message Templates that Get Replies from Real Estate Leads, courtesy of Zurple Here's the good news: Most text messages are read by recipients within 90 seconds. The bad? Not everyone is willing to respond to text messages from people they don't know—and real estate leads don't know you…yet. Zurple's text messaging guide aims to help you change that. The guide offers insight into why leads respond to texts, and provides text templates for various scenarios and lead sources, including cold leads, follow-up on free home valuations, referrals and more. Here's a brief glimpse at what's included: Text messaging tips that increase replies Text message templates for general leads Text message templates for homebuyer leads Text message templates for home seller leads And more! Ready to start engaging more leads? Download 67 Text Message Templates that Get Replies from Real Estate Leads now!

How to Be Friendly, Yet Professional in Online Chats (Part 2)
In a previous article, we talked about the first four keys to making clients satisfied in online chats. In this article, get eight more tips to make your leads and clients feel happy in online chats. Check for Grammar and Spelling When talking to clients, you have to make sure that your sentences are grammatically correct and official. Do not use abbreviations such as ASAP, BRB, FYI, BFN, TY. A professional Realtor will always write the full words and avoid grammatical errors. Being too friendly and using slang will make clients feel like you are not very professional or, worse, they will not take you seriously. Although it might seem like hard work for new Realtors, there are several apps that will help you write content, such as Grammarly. Be Responsive If you are not a native speaker, communicating with clients can be stressful work for you, especially initially. Don't be afraid to send your messages right away. Proofreading your message can be a bit tiring and will keep your potential clients on wait, and they might lose interest in you just for delaying with your response. You might have grammatical mistakes or minor errors once in a while, but don't worry. You are a human being, not a robot, and your clients will understand a minor typo. However, avoid making them often. Save the Humor for Later Making jokes is a risky option, especially if you're unfamiliar with your clients' sense of humor. But being friendly is a must. Clients should trust you, but pay attention not to cross any lines and always remember that this is a business chat. Act in a way that satisfies everyone. Wrap up Conversations with a Positive Note At the end of the conversation, you should always make sure that you have answered all questions and solved the problem so that the client is truly satisfied with you and your services. Then you can end your conversation with a friendly tone. The end of the conversation is as important as the start. Your potential client should feel comfortable messaging again. At the end of the chat, ask if there is anything else they would like to know or ask. Never leave the client hanging at the end—make sure they know that the chat has come to an end. Use Active Voice Using the active voice is important. Using the passive voice all the time might sometimes make the message unclear and your client may get the impression that you are not that professional in what you do. Here are the benefits of using the active voice: Active voice is not confusing It's simple and direct It emphasizes and adds clarity to the sentence It's not always possible to have a conversation in the active voice only. Of course, you will have sentences in passive voice in your daily chats, but just make sure not to let it be frequent to avoid an awkward conversation. Give Fast Replies Never leave a chat unanswered. When a lead's message is left unanswered, they lose interest in your services and will straight up go to the next agent. Sometimes, they even text several agents and will go for the ones that reply fastest. So always be ready to accept the chats as they come. Ask for Feedback At the end of the conversation, especially if the client has reported an issue, ask for feedback. Problems occur in every real estate company. Asking clients for feedback will help you work with more efficiency. Every but of feedback will let you know what to do to be a better Realtor. The more you meet or exceed clients' standards, the more you will gain potential new clients. Avoid Misunderstanding If a client does not entirely explain their issue or explains in a way that might lead to misunderstandings, ask for further explanation. If it's not possible via online chat, you should give them a call to properly understand the issue. Misunderstandings can lead to bigger problems. Ask as many questions as needed to ensure that you understand what the client is asking. Final Word Knowing how to chat with clients and how to keep them happy with you and your services is crucial. The bottom line is that with successful communication techniques, you can keep both you and your clients satisfied and happy. Your clients are your key to your success. Make sure you show them the care they need. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How to Be Friendly, Yet Professional in Online Chats
Have you ever been in the position where clients or prospects send you a direct message online, but you don't know exactly how to guide them or give them an accurate response? Well, don't worry. In this article, we will explain how you can make communicating easier with clients over chats or emails. Talking over chats with clients is such an important role, and you have to put in as much effort as you would if you met your clients in person. However, the challenge sets in when you don't know what tone to use. It is vital to communicate with your clients and prospective clients in a warm, friendly, but professional manner and avoid being too pushy. Now, let's dive in! Here are a few techniques on how to improve your real estate business by communicating better with leads and clients: Greet Clients Remember to always greet your clients with a warm and friendly tone. This way, they will know that they are welcome and will feel comfortable enough to have a professional bond with you. For example, you can write : Hi Ashton, Good morning. This is [your name] from [your company]. How can I help you today? Pay Attention As a real estate agent, chatting with your client requires a lot of attention and patience. Thus, when clients report a problem to you or explain their situation, you have to listen very carefully because missing even one word could make them feel misunderstood and unsatisfied with your customer service. Tell Them to Hold on Always be honest with your clients. Having them waiting for your response can be exhausting. If you don't reply to your clients' messages on time, you might lose them. It helps to have a team assisting you with your website chats for timely responses. Answering potential client inquiries on time is key to their satisfaction. Sometimes, it's okay if you don't have the answer to a specific question immediately. Just tell your clients to hold on so you can provide a suitable response to their inquiry. Offer Further Help Whenever you answer all your client's questions, ensure that they don't have any further questions. Offer additional help or explain more, if need be. So, at the end of each conversion, ask them the following questions: Is there anything else I can help you with? Do you have any other questions you would like to ask? End the Conversation Appropriately Always remember that a satisfied client will advertise your real estate business, so you have to be nice and welcoming. Also, make sure you provide them with suitable answers to their questions. Ending the conversation is one of the most important parts of communicating with your clients and prospects. How you end the chat determines how they will always remember you. Make sure you have answered all the questions and double-check if the conversation helped them or not. Ask to know if they were satisfied with your service and if there's anything else you can improve to make their experience with your company even more satisfactory. The end of your chat should look something like this: Did I answer your question? Hope to hear from you soon Before you go, is there anything else I can assist you with today? I'm happy to help. Is Using an Emoji Unprofessional? Using emojis in business chats is a debatable subject. Emojis are a way of communicating feelings. We only use them to let the person on the other side of the chat know how we feel. Customers are also human and have feelings too. So, using emojis is another way of making the conversation warm and friendly. However, not all emojis are appropriate for business conversations. Thus, make sure to use only business-friendly emojis in your chats with clients and potential clients. It is also worth noting that using too many emojis might throw the client off. So, keep your use of emojis limited. Final Words If your real estate business is online, then chatting with clients is your way of expanding your business. The more satisfied your clients are, the more referrals you'll get. Adopt a warm, friendly, and professional approach when chatting with your clients. After all, having a positive conversation with your clients will increase your chances of getting new leads and referrals! To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Why Content is the Holy Grail of Your Marketing Strategy
If you're already familiar with the phrase "Content is King," then you are ahead of the real estate pack. This phrase has become a mantra repeated over and over again by savvy digital marketers across all industries. The most successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders have adopted the idea that digital content is vital. Blog posts, email newsletters, and social media posts are all central to a marketing strategy. Publishing fresh, engaging content over and over again on a consistent basis is crucial. It helps you establish authority, attract more website traffic and generate more leads. And who doesn't want more of that? The unfortunate truth is that many people won't stay on a page long enough to read a complete article. Yet, in order for your website to appear on the first page of Google's search results, you will likely have to publish carefully written SEO-optimized articles and email newsletters, on a regular basis, over the lifespan of your business. Therefore, with all the other things you need to do to keep your business thriving, this can seem a bit overwhelming. Every day, over two million new blog posts go live, and over 205 billion emails are sent. So, as real estate professionals, how do you stand out from the pack and keep up with that incredible pace?  Here are three innovative ways to design content for your audience: Lists A great piece of content could be something like, "10 Things to Keep in Mind When Buying Your First Home." The items on this list will be as relevant today as they will be a year from today. It addresses a long-term need. No matter what the year or season, there will always be a curious people who are planning on purchasing a home. If you can come up with a great list of tips for new homebuyers, you will have people coming to your site. Furthermore, it will allow the search engine ranking of your site to consistently grow stronger. Define Something Part of running a solid content strategy is to put yourself in the shoes of your prospective clients. What are they curious about? Try thinking of a niche topic that potential clients might need information on. Then, you can write an article that explains it well. For example, an article that explains the difference between a buyer's and seller's market checks two crucial boxes: it answers a question that people will always be curious about no matter when they read it, and it answers a question asked by people who are likely interested in buying a home. This is the kind of content that, if optimized correctly, can attract potential clients to your site while building credibility and improving your search ranking. How-To's Did you know that a simple Google search for "How to start looking for a home" yields 663,000,000 results? Some of the most common Google searches ever begin with the words "how to." Therefore, if you can think of topics that relate to your service or organization, you can develop some great, useful content to satisfy a lot of interested people. When your content addresses questions in an engaging way, it can work wonders for your web traffic. For example: How to give a perfect housewarming gift How to stage your home in 5 simple steps How to capitalize on a hot housing market It takes effort and time to publish engaging, high quality content on a regular basis. If you follow the tips above, you'll be well on your way to establishing a solid content marketing strategy. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

10 New Tech Terms Agents Need to Know
An onslaught of new technology terms is making the news: NFTs, Web3, gas fees, crypto wallet, and the metaverse. You may not think it impacts real estate or what you do. However, tech and business innovators are trying to apply this new technology to the residential real estate industry, and in some cases, they are succeeding. Keep in mind that digital natives – Millennials who comprise the biggest segment of the home-buying population today and for many tomorrows to come – know and often use these new tech terms. That's why Millennials and especially the next group of homebuyers, Gen Z, are likely to expect their agents to at least be familiar with them. The trend of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the metaverse is evolving, literally day by day. Tech Helpline, your go-to source of unmatched technical support to help you resolve your everyday tech problems, while not staffed with cryptocurrency experts, knows the value in gaining an early understanding of new and emerging technology. So, while remaining neutral on this tech trend and social movement, to bring you up to speed, here's a quick primer. 10 new tech terms and what they mean Blockchain: This is a digital, distributed, decentralized public ledger, meaning it is shared and duplicated across an entire network of computers that can record and track transactions with information that can't be altered (immutable). This article explores ways that a blockchain can be used in real estate. Cryptocurrency: This is a digital currency that is tracked and verified by records maintained on a blockchain, a decentralized system, using cryptography versus a traditional currency, backed by a centralized authority (e.g., U.S. dollars and the U.S. Government). Popular examples include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Binance, Tether, and Solana. Crypto wallet: You must have a crypto wallet to access your cryptocurrency. Unlike a regular wallet that you use to store your cash, a crypto wallet is where you keep your private keys – passwords that give you access to your cryptocurrency. With a crypto wallet, you can send and receive cryptocurrencies, depending on the currency you are using (e.g., Bitcoin or Ethereum). These wallets can be physical devices like a thumb drive or an online wallet accessible via an app or other software. You can learn more about crypto wallets, such as Coinbase, Electrum, Exodus, Ledger Nano X, MetaMask and Mycelium, here. DAO: This stands for "decentralized autonomous organization" and is how cryptocurrency and NFTs are governed: a community organized around a specific set of rules enforced on a blockchain. It is an entity with no central leadership as it is collectively owned and managed by everyone who is a member. Through a DAO, a group of people enters into a contract with one another to reach a coordinated goal, such as collecting NFTs or predicting stock market moves. Read more about examples of how DAOs work here. Gas fees: This is a payment you make to cover the computing energy required to process and validate a cryptocurrency transaction on a blockchain, such as Ethereum. Gas fees help keep a network secure, are a required compensation, and vary by the type of cryptocurrency used. Gas fees are calculated in real-time and can fluctuate throughout the day. Metaverse: This virtual reality space allows you to interact with others in a computer-generated environment. This simulated digital environment uses augmented reality (A.R.), virtual reality, blockchain and borrows concepts from social media to create an alternative, digital world. For example, one digital real estate platform, called "Next Earth," is marketing digital land in its metaverse, touting that they are cutting out the "middle-man." Another, Decentraland, just sold a $1.25 million digital property in its metaverse. And The Sandbox, an Ethereum-based NFT gaming metaverse, allows non-tech savvy users to create and monetize their own NFTs. According to CNN, someone recently paid $450,000 to move in next door to Snoop Dogg in The Sandbox. NFTs: Stands for "non-fungible tokens," meaning every asset is unique. These digital tokens are created on the blockchain, just like cryptocurrency. However, cryptocurrency is "fungible," meaning these assets, like all Bitcoin, are worth the same. Each NFT represents the ownership of a specific digital file, such as an illustration, photo, or video. Ownership is tracked and verified on the blockchain. While the digital art world – such as The Bored Ape Yacht Club – has dominated the sale of NFTs, real estate also is being tokenized. Many NFT projects have a real-world component that comes with NFT ownership. For example, Propy, a real estate startup, is merging real estate with NFTs. It recently sold a 2,100+ square foot home in Gulfport, Florida, for $653,000 with the NFT as the proof of ownership. Smart contract: This is an automated program stored on the blockchain that executes an agreement when all conditions are met. It eliminates an intermediary's involvement, expediting the contract process. Smart contracts can automate workflow with the next action triggered when certain conditions are met. You can dig deep into learning more about smart contracts here. Token: This refers to any cryptocurrency that resides on an existing blockchain. Tokens are used to store value, for investment purposes, or purchases. You can read more about tokens here. Web3: The internet you know and use every day is Web2. Major companies dominate how we share information on the web, primarily monetized by mining personal data. Web3 is entirely different. Web3 refers to decentralized apps that run on the blockchain; it allows anyone to participate and interact with others without monetizing personal data. You can read more about Web3, including its current limitations, here and here. Many of these new tech terms may be challenging to relate to your real estate business today. But if you are a veteran agent, think how different the internet felt when you first discovered it. Again, you don't need to be an expert about NFTs or the metaverse or have a crypto wallet with Bitcoin. It is just beneficial to become familiar with these terms and their meaning. After all, 12% of first-time buyers sold cryptocurrency in the fourth quarter of 2021 to save for their down payment, Redfin reported. And that's a trend that real estate experts say is likely to grow. Finally, if you have an everyday tech challenge that you have been putting off resolving, perhaps it's time to reach out to our friendly tech analysts at techhelpline.com. It's a free service available to members of participating MLSs, associations, and brokerages. Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns and operates Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity.

4 Real Estate Listing Description Examples that Increase Sales
The home is clean, the repairs have been made, and your client is ready to open their doors to prospective buyers. It's time to post a home listing. Writing and posting informative, engaging home listings has never been more important for agents. People are more likely than ever to start home searches online, and whether they decide to contact you to tour a property depends largely on what they see in the listing description you post. That means having a strong real estate listing description is a must. But preparing a top-tier listing description doesn't have to be complicated and is far from unattainable. Check out four listing description examples from Homesnap Pro agents that follow listing best practices. Then, incorporate these strategies in your own listing descriptions, drive up demand for your properties, and sell them more quickly and at a higher price. Listing Description Example #1: Tells a Story Many businesses and business leaders say that storytelling is the most valuable sales tool in their arsenal. As a real estate agent, you should think this way, too. Listing descriptions are strongest when they tell a story and allow clients to envision the kind of life they'll live in a home. Agent Cindy Rack of Keller Williams Realty in Bethel Park, PA, effectively told a story in her recent listing for a suburban Pittsburgh home. Consider how the listing highlights the potential for future activities and lifestyle. The front porch will be great for morning coffee or entertaining friends; the basement can be refashioned into a game room; the location is down the road from shops and public transportation. Overall, this listing description tells a story: Live here and enjoy a comfortable and convenient life. Listing Description Example #2: Uses Professional Listing Photos When it comes to home listings, words are only part of the story. Professional-quality staging photos also are essential to increasing consumer interest, and should be considered an integral component of your listing description. One agent who recognizes the importance of professional listing photos is Gloria Matlin of Compass in Glencoe, IL. Matlin's recent listings in suburban Chicago include professional-quality photos of the properties. One listing on Forestway Drive starts by saying that the home sits on a corner lot and features an "expansive property, fenced and professionally landscaped… [and] an updated eat-in kitchen featuring quartz counters and stainless appliances." To back up her words, Matlin included pictures of the property and the home's interior. The pictures are well-staged, reflect the home's natural light, and give consumers the opportunity to get a feel for the property before committing to a showing. When you prepare a listing, remember that a real estate listing description is only as strong as the photos that accompany it. Listing Description Example #3: Highlighting Unique Features Not every property is created equal, and not every buyer wants the same things in a home. In order to book more tours with high-intent buyers, make sure your listing descriptions highlight each property's unique features. In a recent listing for a Del Mar, CA home, agent Massimo Bettazzi mentioned features which signal to buyers that they are viewing a luxury property. An open floor plan, landscaped backyard, porcelain flooring, recessed lighting, quartz countertops – buyers who look at this listing know to expect a high-end, move-in ready home. The people who ask to view this home will likely value these amenities and be willing to pay to have a house equipped with them. Highlighting unique home features doesn't just make clear the value of your listings. It makes it more likely that the right kind of buyers will come to see your properties. Listing Description Example #4: Includes a Call-to-Action Telling buyers what they'll find in a home is good. Giving them a specific action to take is even better. Caitlin Platt, of RE/MAX West End in Falls Church, VA, included a succinct call-to-action at the end of a recent listing. After detailing the home's features, location, and accessibility, Platt wrote, "Schedule a showing today!" By including this call-to-action, Platt is providing consumers clear instruction on what their next step should be. Calls-to-action are powerful and boost conversions. Even when it seems obvious, finish your real estate listings by providing a tangible, direct call-to-action. Overall, an effective real estate listing description spurs the right kind of buyer to come and tour a given property. If you're a Homesnap Pro agent, you're in a position to post listings that do exactly this. To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

What Is Email Etiquette and Why Is It Important in Real Estate?
Real estate professionals spend nearly a quarter of their work week sorting through the dozens of emails they send and receive daily. In today's real estate environment, email communications have almost entirely replaced paper communications. All of the emails we read and write each day might make us more susceptible to embarrassing mistakes, which can have significant professional effects. However, with good email etiquette, you can avoid all these setbacks. With proper style and language, you can develop a professional image and convey your point clearly. Let's go over proper business email etiquette in real estate and how you can improve your email communication skills! What Is Email Etiquette? Email etiquette explains the best practices that should be adopted when writing or sending formal or business emails. You can tailor these norms and rules to suit the particular purpose and audience while projecting respect and professionalism. Email etiquette entails including all essential components of a message, such as greetings, a clear subject line, well-organized body paragraphs, closing, and appropriate language. Email Etiquette Guidelines: 13 Best Email Etiquette Practices Create a concise and straightforward subject line Formally address your recipient Use suitable fonts Start with a greeting and introduce yourself Ensure that your message is appropriately structured Use sentence case Double-check your recipients Close your email with a signature and a call-to-action Proofread your email thoroughly Make sure to note any attachments Use hyperlinks Make sure your message is polite and easily understood Proofread your email thoroughly Create a Simple and Concise Subject Line Subject lines are critical when writing emails. They appear at the top of recipients' inboxes, so the first impression they have of your email is from your subject line. Assume your subject line is the title of your message. What best describes what you're writing about? Your reader should be able to understand the purpose of your message from the subject line. Keep it concise, and only mention the most important points of your email to increase the likelihood of your message getting read by the recipient. Formally Address Your Recipient Unless you are familiar with the recipient, address them as "Mr.," "Ms.," or "Mrs." Nevertheless, if you have frequent and amiable contact with someone, you can address them by their first name. Start your email with a salutation, such as "Hello [name]," to ensure that it is received graciously and professionally. Use Suitable Fonts For a tidy, professional appearance, use the default font and text color for your email. The default font setting for most devices is dark gray or black text. They are simple and easy to read. Standard fonts and colors will ensure that your message is understood. The following are some examples of easy-to-read fonts: Arial Calibri Georgia Corbel Avenir Cambria Constantia Gill Sans Garamond Helvetica Start With Greetings and Introduce Yourself It is unwise to assume that the person you are sending an email to knows who you are. It's polite to begin your email with greetings and a brief introduction if this is your first time contacting them. If you know the recipient, but aren't sure if your name is familiar, mention the last time you spoke or how you met. Keep your message short and straight to the point. Ensure that Your Message Is Properly Structured To improve readability, you can use various structural approaches to construct the message. Keep paragraphs short and straight to the point. In longer messages, use numbered or bulleted lists to highlight key points. The themes of your message should be clear and well-articulated. Always use regular text formatting. Spam filters sometimes catch large attachments like photos, and translating HTML to plain text or vice versa can be messy. Instead, use a plain serif or sans serif font on a white background. Using a sans serif or plain serif font along with black text on a white background gives the structure of your message an overall good look. Use Sentence Case Capitalize the first letters of the first word in a sentence and any proper nouns. Using traditional capitalization is an essential email etiquette that you should practice. Double-check your recipients. Be careful when sending a "reply to all" to avoid sending emails to the wrong recipients. Close Your Email with a Signature and a Call-to-Action Add "thank you," "best regards," or "sincerely" to conclude your email. Use your titles and full name when closing your email to provide your recipient with all the information they need for their reply. The last line of your email should include a solid call-to-action (CTA) that spells out what you want your recipient to do next. For example, you could request an RSVP, an in-person meeting, a file delivery, or just a general answer to your request. Set a deadline for this correspondence, such as the end of the day or week. If you make this call-to-action clear, your recipient will know what action to take and how long they have to respond. Proofread Your Email Thoroughly Before sending your message, make sure it is clear and concise. While spellcheck can identify many mistakes, it is still important to double-check for typos on your own. Your errors will not go undetected by the recipients of your email, some of whom might judge you for making them. Why Is Email Etiquette Important in Real Estate? When it comes to communication, the way you convey your message indicates the type of person you are, especially your attention to detail and work ethic. It is essential to implement best practices for email etiquette for various reasons, including the ones listed below. Efficient communication: Emails written with etiquette are direct, concise, and convey the message quickly. Professionalism: Using good email etiquette demonstrates your company's professionalism and attention to detail. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

What's the Best Way to Contact Expired Listings without Being Intrusive and Rude?
Beth Atalay, an Orlando broker and owner of Cam Realty and Property Management, shares her insights on the best ways to contact expired listings. Here's Beth: "List to last." I'm sure you've heard this before, but how do you get listings? This is even more challenging for newer agents or for those who had to take some time off and have been out of touch for some time. Going after expired listings will work if done right. Homeowners of these listings have already shown interest in selling their home, but were not successful. It's not always their real estate agent's fault that their home didn't sell, but most would tell you it is. What would be the best way to contact expired listings without being intrusive or rude? Calling them the day their home expires in MLS Before you take this approach, ask yourself if you would want to receive 50+ calls from aggressive real estate agents the day your home expires, starting as early as 7am. This is not the method I feel comfortable with, so I would never do it. However, if it fits your personality, then you should go for it! Before you pick up that phone, I suggest you have scripts and know what to say when the homeowner answers. You're probably asking how and where to get their phone numbers from. Here are some suggestions: Cole Realty Resource Not only you will get a list of expired listings on a daily basis, but their phone numbers and emails as well. You can pull up a list by subdivisions; this is great for circle prospecting. EspressoAgent EspressoAgent provides a list of expireds with their email and phone numbers. ArchAgent, Landvoice and RedX are just a few others you can check. Important reminder Be sure to check whether the homeowner you're calling is on the Do Not Call List before you start dialing. Sending them a postcard The challenge with this is by the time homeowner gets your postcard, their home will most likely be listed with another real estate agent. If you are targeting those that expired 30/60/90 days or even a year ago, postcards might work as long as you follow up with a handwritten card or a CMA. Delivering a packet This packet may include a brochure, market update for their neighborhood and a letter that's signed by you. You could deliver it the day it expires, but please do not put it in their mailbox—that's illegal. You could include tips such as: "8 Reasons Why Your House Didn't Sell" or "Tips on Getting Your House SOLD," etc. Let the homeowner know what you will do for them should they decide to list their home with you. Once you deliver the packet, send a handwritten note. Stand out from the crowd. I know some will say by the time you do all of that, someone else will have already won the listing, but so be it. That's okay with me as I do not like to call expireds (as I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end). You would be surprised to see how many homeowners are more receptive to a professional packet than being hounded by 50 agents the day their home becomes an expired listing. I do work expired listings, but not the ones that are recent. Instead, I go back 30/60/90 days and choose the ones I would like to work with. Not every expired listing is a right fit for me or my business, so choosing the right home is a top priority. I deliver a package to their door, then follow up with a handwritten card thanking them for accepting the packet and see if they have any questions. They will receive some type of mail every three weeks until they either tell me to stop, list with me or another agent. For homeowners, it's a process of elimination, stand out from the crowd, provide the homeowners with the information they need and that is useful. It's okay if they don't list with you—they will, however, remember your professionalism. For more from Beth, check out her website. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

Text Etiquette: What's a Faux Pas in Real Estate Text Marketing?
Real estate agents use different means for communicating with their clients and potential leads. One such means is SMS text marketing. But not all of us are familiar with the regulations and the best ethical practices being set and established in SMS marketing. In this article, we will go through some of these practices. Is Cold Texting/Bulk Texting Illegal? Cold texting is indeed illegal if your clients don't give an explicit consent to be part of your SMS marketing campaigns. There are a couple of organizations you should be aware of that encourage healthy texting practises as well as legally enforce it. Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) — It controls wireless communication. Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) — Encourages all businesses owners to follow ethical SMS marketing strategies. Federal Trade Commision (FTC) — This U.S. government agency has a legal role in consumer protection. It handles all complaints that deal with media communication. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — It's a government agency that regulates different types of media communications. What Are the Important Legal Considerations? The FCC has issued rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act that legally bind you to not send messages unless you have a consent from your clients. Please note that the FCC's definition of consent includes only written consent. Verbal consent is not enough when it comes to business practices. In order to create a solid, but at the same time, legal SMS database, you need to follow these rules. So how can you do that? Well, the easiest one is to have a website pop-up. Your customers scroll through your website and enjoy your content, and then they see a pop-up window that explains what will happen if they consent to become part of your subscriber list. Another one that is close to the concept we discussed above is the online form. As always, your clients should be fully aware of what it entails to be part of your subscriber list. A written and signed paper, even though it is not a typical way of doing things in a modern world, it still is valid in the eyes of FCC. Legal disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. What Should You Text Your Real Estate Leads? As always, the golden rule of every marketing strategy is to first provide valuable content. To do that, you need to know what problems your real estate clients are facing. That's why we're encouraging you to take notes during your real estate sales conversations. This will allow you to personalize your texts. If you want to retain business relationships with your real estate clients, it's important to send personalized messages. One such message can congratulate your clients for their success and accomplishments. There is a chance you're following them on social media. It's also a good source for personalized text messages. If you want to send bulk messages without personalization, the same rules of sending valuable content first apply here as well. How Do You Follow Up on Text? First, you need to identify who you should follow up with. It can be prospects that never answered you, your clients who you didn't communicate with for quite some time, clients who might be interested in the property that recently became available on the market. The possibilities are endless. Depending on these types of clients, your follow-up will differ. We prepared some example scripts that might help you with following up: Hello, Your Client's Name, are you available for a quick call this Wednesday? Hey, Your Client's Name, we haven't chatted in a while. Are you still interested in selling your property? Hello, Your Client's Name, I remember you were interested in the property address. There are similar homes available on the market right now. Would you be interested in seeing them? As you see, the three examples we presented here have something similar: They are brief. They have limited amounts of information, which means clients will need to follow up with you to learn more about the prospects. They are establishing a clear call-to-action with a goal in mind. What Is Appropriate Texting Time? Depending on the nature of the message, the appropriate sending time will differ. For example, if you want to set an appointment with your real estate client, it should be at least a week in advance so your clients will have time to decide on an appropriate date. As for the reminder, it will be better to send the text at least one day before the appointment. Generally, it's recommended to send text messages during the work week, preferably the middle of the week, mid-morning or early afternoon. These are general guidelines that marketers should know, but to truly understand what time works better for your leads, we suggest doing A/B testing. By sending text messages a couple of different times, you will be able to determine what time frame works best for your business model. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

How to Say 'No' to Real Estate Sellers
Here is a topic that is heavily talked about amongst real estate agents. Should you discount your services? And if so, how do you say "no" to a home seller? There are many reasons why you should and shouldn't discount your services. If we can allow me to break character a bit and speak on behalf of myself and not my company—I believe in not discounting services because it also discounts your value as an agent. Some exceptions would be if a client is going through a really hard time (but isn't everybody?), or for friends and family. Here are some strategies you can use to say no: Just Say No Let's get this one out of the way. Not everybody can pull off just saying no, because bluntness can be off-putting when building relationships with clients. If you are going to choose this direction, we'd recommend also including a reason for your no. An example can be, "No. You are already getting a discount, I can't discount my services any further." Bring Up Your Pedigree If your average home stays on the market for 28 days, and your listings sell much quicker, that is because of your skill as an agent. Your real estate clients are receiving the full value of the commission based on the years of experience and study you have put into your profession. Let them know exactly what they are paying for when hiring you! You are the expert, and with your expertise and experience they should be paying a premium to work with the best. Otherwise, they can go with the random Redfin agent they know nothing about. Use Your Brokerage as a Reason Some brokerages will have a minimum requirement of what percentage they will accept from you as an agent. This can circle back to our "Just Say No" strategy. Here you have a clear and concise reason why you will not be able to discount your services. Explain Where the Commission Goes to You don't pocket that commission. That will go towards photos, marketing the home, and back to the brokerage. By discounting your real estate services, that should also mean you will have to pull back a little spending on each of these items. Let them know it doesn't all go to you, it goes into making sure that the home gets sold. You can say "Yes," and follow it with a "…but that means there will be no room left in the budget to host an open house or market it beyond just my immediate network." There is No Commission if There is No Sale An effective way to shelve the question is just letting them know you can't discuss the commission discount if there is no commission yet. Discounted Agents Bring Discounted Services There is nothing wrong with being a discount agent! In fact, we realize that it appeals to the demographic of sellers that like to save money. The caveat with discounting your services, though, is it has the potential to stretch you thin amongst all your clients. To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

How to Inject Creative Life Into Your Emails
We all need fresh inspiration from time to time in our lives. Whether it's in our personal lives or our professional responsibilities, sometimes the monotony of routine can start to wear on you. The same goes for a marketing strategy, with email being the one marketing channel that can sometimes feel like a complete hit or miss. Far too often, marketing plans get stuck in a set-it-and-forget-it template and start to grow stagnant – and your ROI starts to suffer. Here are three areas in your email marketing where you can get creative as a real estate agent and inject your personality into how you communicate. 1. Throw a party Let's face it – everyone loves a party, even more so when they aren't the ones hosting it. Client appreciation events do exactly what their name entails; they are for you to appreciate your clientele – while also looking to deepen your existing relationships. Hosting a party has all the makings of a creative angle for promoting it. Make sure you give yourself enough lead up time to let people know about your event, planning it and building your guest list. This allows for a series of emails to go out in a drip campaign hyping it up, and reminder emails as well. Hint: Suggest that they "bring a friend," which will then allow you to add them to your database and expand your referral numbers for future follow-up. Hey – the more the merrier! 2. Celebrate an Anniversary Personalized email marketing is the trick to cutting through an overloaded inbox. Whether it was a prospect you met two years ago, or a lifelong friend, people LOVE when they are remembered. The trick to doing this is to jot down any and every key point you had from their last conversation. Pick up on birthdays, wedding anniversaries, graduations and move-in anniversaries to log them into your CRM. It is truly unbelievable how far follow-up on key dates like this can go, because it shows that you care and that you pay attention to the smaller details in their life. It's also an easy and mighty way to stay top of mind when they're in the market for a real estate professional. 3. Host a Fundraiser This pairs well with the party aspect, because people like to rally behind a fundraiser in their community that supports a great local cause. You could: Host a BBQ as a fundraiser and request attendees to donate old clothes. Design a road hockey tournament with proceeds going towards sponsoring a youth sports team or club. Volunteer you time serving at a local restaurant, with proceeds going to your preferred local charity. Host a food truck event to raise money. Plan a community bake sale to bring together the neighborhood. All proceeds from the baked goods going to charity. How to make your emails stand out Now that we've outlined three ideas on what to base your email campaigns around, it's time to breathe life into these emails. When looking to inject personality into your email marketing strategy, remember that it's important to know your audience and tailor your content and messaging towards their proper segment. For instance, the email copy for a 25-year-old prospect won't be the same as a 60-year-old newly retired couple – the message has to meet the demographic. This is why having a real estate CRM is crucial because it allows you to segment these different personas and design drip campaigns to cater to the respective siloes. Here are some tips to help make your message pierce through the screen: Use GIFs GIFs, or Graphics Interchange Format, are image files that support both animated and static images. GIFs are easy to consume, they catch your eye, and they have an emotional impact. Everyone has seen enough cat GIFs flooding their social media—but, remember, this type of media really resonates with the Millennial generation and could be hit or miss with an older demographic. It's good to try new things – but make sure you know your audience will actually consume it. More Visuals, Less Text Let your visuals tell the story and feed all of the information through them. Remember, visual content generates up to 94% more views on your posts – take advantage of what that statistic is telling you. Film it While video has long been seen as an expensive and time-consuming marketing practice, the truth is that is doesn't have to be. With BombBomb, you can easily record videos and insert them into your emails by filming with the video recorder. Try this: instead of typing everything you want to convey into an email, write it out as a script for yourself and film yourself on your computer! It's a much more intimate and compelling way to personalize your message, and helps put a face behind your message. No matter how creative you choose to get with your emails, all roads lead back to having a high-powered CRM to help you launch the campaign and measure its effectiveness. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

FBI Negotiating Skills Every Real Estate Agent Should Know
Pushy sales tactics. One-size-fits-all solutions. Talking over you and underwhelming you. We've all experienced a bad negotiation situation. You don't feel heard, you question the motive of someone trying to "sell" you, and the whole process can make you uncomfortable. In real estate, if your clients feel any of these things, your business is going to suffer. Many veteran agents joke that you have to be one part counselor to make it in this business, and it's not too far from the truth. Emotional intelligence is critical to real estate negotiations, the effectiveness of your customer service, and your business as a whole. So how can you sharpen your emotional IQ and excel in negotiations? No better place to start than the country's top FBI negotiators. (Go big or go home!) Chris Voss, former negotiator for the FBI (the lead in international kidnapping cases) and founder and CEO of the Black Swan Group, shared his top strategies from the bureau in his book, Never Split the Difference. The real estate process and sales scenarios don't necessarily warrant the delicacy of a hostage situation, but you and your business can benefit from his tactics and experience. Leveraging Emotional Intelligence in Sales The first concept that Voss wants you to toss is the idea that denying or ignoring emotions will help you with any sort of negotiation. Good negotiators not only identify the emotions present on both sides of a situation, but they know exactly how to influence them. "Emotions aren't the obstacles to a successful negotiation; they are the means." In real estate, it's easy to want to pitch your service offering at every opportunity, tell the sellers how much better you would be as their listing agent than the competition, wow your buyers with your knowledge about a property—but when it comes to working with your prospects, the first step to really delivering is to talk less and listen more. This is the foundation of emotional intelligence. You can glean so much information (sometimes more than people would actually like you to know) by simply observing and listening. In today's digital world, listening doesn't have to just mean in conversations. Opportunities abound when you listen to what people are sharing on social media. Thanks to sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., you can follow along and listen as people tell you they are relocating, adding to the family, changing jobs. The FBI's Top 5 Negotiating Techniques for Your Real Estate Business: 1. Mirror your client's words and actions (selectively) Think of this as active listing boiled down to a science. Mirroring communication is one of the fastest ways to build rapport, and it's as simple as repeating the last few words someone said back to them. It acknowledges that you're listening and it creates an environment where people feel safe and comfortable sharing. It's crucial to gather as much information from "the other side" (your client, a listing agent, a new lead) as possible, and when you mirror and repeat key words from their own sentence, by nature, responses will offer more information and points will be further clarified. Here's an example: Prospect: We don't need to sell our home. We're just curious to see the value now.Agent: I understand you don't need to sell. It's a beautiful home in a great spot.Prospect: Yeah, we love it. It's getting a little tight, but still works for us, and we just did some work on the kitchen.Agent: Nice! Work on the kitchen?Prospect: Just some updates—new appliances... See? Just by reiterating keywords, you can start building a connection and find out some important information. Pro tip: When negotiations are in full swing, a skill like this can also help slow down the conversation and buy you some time to think before you answer a question or reply. 2. Work for a "no." Sales 101 is to work for the yes, right? Yes! But, Voss feels that being pushed for "yes" makes people defensive. It's that pushy sales game we all fear and the person you're working with will start to sense a trap. In the legal world, lawyers even call this "cornering." That doesn't sound like a pleasant situation. Working someone to say no, however, helps them feel a sense of control, not manipulation. Ask no-oriented questions, like: "Is now a bad time to talk about a new listing?""Would it be horrible if we tried looking at a new area?""Are you trying to sell your home really quickly?""Have you completely scratched this neighborhood off the list?""Are you scared of a fixer upper?" While these won't always generate the "no" you're looking for, you'll start noticing ways in certain situations to generate a no, and further open up the person on the other side by making them feel like they're calling the shots. 3. Practice proactive empathy This sounds like a complicated idea, but really it means showing your counterparts that you understand the way they're feeling. This means labeling their concerns (and this also means paying attention!). Saying things like: "It sounds like you're concerned about selling your house by the end of the summer…" or "It seems like you're afraid of going over budget…" can help to disarm someone who is worried or anxious. A great exercise to help with this technique is to brainstorm a list of the worst things the other party could say about you, their potential issues or disappointments, and try to address them before they can. For example, if you think your buyer clients might be worried about a lack of scheduled showings in their price range, go ahead and address this before the issue can fester (or even arise!). "I know it might feel like we've been in a bit of a drought, but I want to show you a market update for your favorite neighborhood to let you know what the inventory and pricing situation has been like." Try to pepper in some solutions too. Perhaps you know of a new house coming on the market, or something exciting is happening in another area they should consider. 4. Keep the other side talking The secret to gaining the upper hand in a negotiation is to give the other side the illusion of control. Don't try to force your opponent to admit that you are right. Ask questions that begin with "How?" or "What?" so your opponent uses mental energy to figure out the answer. Voss explains that these two interrogatives can be extremely powerful in negotiating, as they encourage the other side to keep talking, to clarify and to eventually reveal their true intentions and motives. "You'd like to settle on these terms? What is it about this 30-day window that works for you?" Likewise, with "how?" if someone demands $1 million in ransom, Voss's response might be: "I understand, but I need you to take a look at the whole context here. Tell me, how am I supposed to do that?" This causes the other side to actually put themselves in your shoes. It forces them to be on your side for a moment, and you get the opportunity to hear them thinking out a plan. When you listen closely to that, you can almost certainly uncover hidden motivations. 5. Make 'em say "that's right" We aren't working for the yes, necessarily, but we do want to trigger "that's right." Why? This means you've convinced your counterpart that you understand them. You understand what they're searching for in a home, or what they're looking for when selling their house, or even that you understand their needs better than they might. The moment you've convinced someone that you understand their dreams and feelings is the moment a negotiation breakthrough can happen. You can get to this response by summarizing and reaffirming how your counterpart feels and what they want (kind of a mirroring/proactive empathy hybrid move). When you've done this correctly, it will trigger a "that's right," and that response will be based on feelings and passions that are driving the other side (that they may not even realize!). This creates a little a-ha! moment and simultaneously confirms that they share empathy with you. Negotiating for Success In real estate, you spend your days negotiating for something. In fact, our careers, finances, reputations, love lives and even the fate of our kids at some point hinge on our ability to negotiate. By using the strategies above, ones grounded in emotional intelligence, you're guaranteed to have the competitive edge in any discussion, and build better relationships in your real estate business. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

3 Zoom Tips to Look 10x More Professional
Last week, you read 3 Tips to Master Your Gmail Inbox. Those tips, once mastered, will help you save time every day. These next three tips on how to use Zoom will help you look even more like the professional that you are. You will learn how to add a virtual background, how to change your name, and what your camera angle should be. Zoom Tip #1: How to add a virtual background This is excellent, but not a requirement for your Zoom meeting. Having a virtual background can look both good and bad. Before I get into the good, the bad, and the better, let's talk about the "how." During a Zoom call, click the little up arrow ^ to the right of the start video button. Then select Choose Virtual Background. This will bring up the Settings. You can either choose an already existing virtual background, or you can upload a new one using the plus sign (+) on the right of the image. Voilà! Now you should have a virtual background. If selecting a virtual background is not an option for you, then your account settings have to be changed. For how to turn those settings on, I will refer you to this how-to article written by Zoom. Now for the good, the bad, and the ugly. As you can see from my image above, I selected an image of Earth. Which is fine, BUT that doesn't help tell my story. So, our recommendation is for you to create a background using a product like Canva. This helps to create something that has your company's logo in the top left or right corner and the rest of the image follows your company's branding. You might think creating your own image is scary, but it is not. Companies such as Canva now make it extremely easy for people to create their own images. Now for the bad. You may have noticed during your Zoom calls there is a distracting line around people when they have a virtual background. This can be very distracting to those in the meeting. If your background image looks like this you might want to question if a virtual background is right for you. This is where we get to the good stuff. The better. To make a virtual background look really good, use a green screen. This does not have to be expensive or troublesome. It really is just a green sheet that is stretched out flat behind you. When you select a virtual background, you would then also select the option that you are using a green screen. This will make your virtual background look professional and awesome. Zoom Tip #2: How to change your name I don't know about you, but I can be working in one of four different Zoom accounts. A problem that I come across all the time is no one knows who I am until I change my name. First, select Participants. Then, select More next to your name. Click on Rename. Change your name, select Rename again. And you are good to go! Changing your name so people know who you are is essential. I have been on hundreds of Zoom calls with both WAV Group and RE Technology and too often there are people that I don't know on the call. This helps the host know exactly who is there. BONUS TIP: If you are meeting new people, add the name of your business after your name, like this: "Michael Nash | RE Technology." This helps people not just know who you are, but also which company you are with. Zoom Tip #3: Pay attention to the camera angle I've saved the best for last. Pay attention to the camera angle. Many of us today use laptops. This causes the camera to be looking up at us. What do the people you are talking with see? Mostly up your nose! You don't want people looking up there! Instead, position the camera so it is at eye level, or slightly higher, like the image below. This angle is much better for others on the call with you and definitely makes you look more professional. Now it is your turn My homework for you today is to spend the next 15 minutes trying out each of these Zoom tips. They will help you look more professional during your Zoom meetings with clients, your broker or other professionals. Come back next week for an article on how to think, train, and eat for your business. I will be talking about Stu Mittleman's book, Slow Burn, and how it applies to your business. If you have any questions about these Zoom tips or have suggestions for more, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

How to Create a Killer Real Estate Content Calendar
Are you the agent that plans all of your social media and blog posts, or are you the agent that just posts spur of the moment content based on your mood? Everything in your business needs to be planned in order to be successful and your real estate content posts are NO exception to this rule. In order to maximize reach on your real estate content, it is important to put together a marketing content calendar. Here are four tips to help you maximize your real estate content strategy: Research Spend a few hours researching some of the latest trends in the real estate industry or in real estate industry news. Use this time to cultivate a list of articles that you have found and want to share with your fans and followers, or a list of topics that you are going to start writing about yourself. You should be setting aside a few hours every week to do this so that your content stays fresh. Of course you are going to stumble across content that is share-worthy from a few months, or even years ago, which is fine, but keep in mind that current content is often more relevant. If you are going to use old content, try to rewrite something and put a current-day/relevant spin on it. Pro Tip: For those spontaneous agents that want to find content the day of a post, doing a bit of daily research can help you be a planner and spontaneous at the same time! Consolidate all of your calendars into one First things first—if you have multiple calendars to look at everyday, get rid of all of them except one of them. With multiple places to find information, there is a really good chance that you will have a hard time staying organized. Put everything on one calendar so that all of your deadlines are in one place. If you want to go above and beyond, color coding is a great way to make your information easy to find. This also eliminates issues of your colleagues or assistants not being able to find information that they need in order to successfully assist you. Pro Tip: If you are color coding your calendars, make sure that you have a key so that you don't ever have to question what things mean. Set reminders Remind yourself when you need to be posting your content if you don't have an automated posting tool to pre-schedule your posts ahead of time. Sometimes you can get stretched a little bit too thin at work, and tasks fall through the cracks. Don't let posting engaging real estate content be one of the items that fall through the cracks. Once you have a reminder, whether it's a daily or weekly reminder, you will find yourself falling into a routine and not feeling overwhelmed with the fact that you are being reminded to complete a task. Pro Tip: Don't cancel your reminder even if you are able to remember your posting schedule. There could be a day in the future where you are going to need that extra reminder. Better safe than sorry, right? Share your content Share your content on as many platforms as your heart desires. With the abundance of social media platforms available today, you have a lot of choices. You also have your personal website, emails to your clients/potential clients. Your sharing ability is pretty limitless these days. The more platforms that you share your content on, the more impressive your reach will be. Your business is only as well known as you make it, and creating a real estate content marketing calendar can help your business grow while keeping you organized. Get your content marketing calendar started today so that you can get ahead of the game. Are you ready to get your content marketing calendar started? To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog.

7 Emails You Need to Send to Real Estate Leads
Consider the emails you're sending to your leads. Would you open them if they appeared in your inbox? More importantly, would you respond or visit a website? Prospects these days have an inbox full of info and offers, most of which they will consider "junk," and delete. This is why you have to follow the best practices to help your email outshine the rest. Readers don't delete emails that interest them. Easy as that. The seven emails below will help you earn your way into their inbox. 1. The Introduction Email We strongly suggest only emailing leads who have opted into communication with you. Otherwise, it can feel like an invasion of personal space. This first email serves as the "welcome mat" for the rest of your email communication. Don't overwhelm with too much information! Instead, quickly and casually introduce yourself and give a short snippet of what you can offer them. Start by asking yourself the questions below: Who are you? Why are you emailing them? What value are you providing to them? Introduction Email Example: Hi Cindy, I noticed you recently registered for e-Alerts on my website. I'm glad you signed up, as this is the quickest way to receive up-to-date information on listings in your area! Our website is refreshed every hour, so you will be the first to know when a home that fits your preferences hits the market. Over the past seven years, I have worked in the area selling homes and helping buyers find the perfect property. Buying a home is an exciting time and I am here to help you navigate through the process. Below I have linked to one of my blog posts about preparing to buy a home and how it is different this year over the others. Read More: How to Prepare Yourself to Buy a Home This Year Have a lovely day, Annie Agent 2. The "Establish Expectations" Email The Welcome Email should go out almost immediately after you receive their information or when they register on your site. The Establish Expectations Email should follow in the next day or two, and will answer the following: How frequently you will be in touch? What action should the lead take? Are you showing your value as an agent? Establish Expectations Email Example: Hi Cindy, I hope your home search is going well! As of now, you are set up to receive emails when your preferred listings come on the market. I'll keep you in the loop with any important market information that may help with your search as well. If you'd like to see a home, please don't hesitate to reach out at (###) ###-####. My door is always open at the office as well! Continue Searching For Homes I'll be in touch, Annie Agent This email reaffirms why you're reaching out, and then follows up with another call-to-action. These are important steps! Here are a few pointers for what you should be accomplishing with each email: Provide a valuable offer of information or service to your lead. Make it easy to take action with a clear link or button. Do NOT make it all about you. This completely defeats the purpose. Remember, you have to EARN your way into their Inbox. Just as any other business or service earns their way into your readership.  3. The Content Email Here is where we engage the lead through valuable information. You can send the Content Email in the form of a regularly scheduled newsletter, or save yourself some time and plug it into an email drip campaign. You want to provide value through content you aggregate or already have on your site. The best option is to combine the two! These emails allow you to establish yourself as the local expert. Consider including any of the following: Local Market Updates Average Days On Market Breakdown Seller Market Versus Buyer Market Explanation How to Buy a Home in the Current Market One of Your Sold Listings (if it is a seller lead) Area Events Calendar New Development Updates Fixer-Upper Average Costs Turning Your Home Into the Ultimate Investment Showcase all of the best content that you're sharing on your website, blog, and social media channels. The goal is to get the lead to interact with you, so it can be useful here to usher them to other channels where you share information. Link to one of your posts or events on Facebook and try to get them to "like" your page. Let them know if you're "going live," or connect them to a blog post through a Twitter or LinkedIn link. If you really want to up your game, sites such as Canva can help you create quick and easy, professional-looking images. People respond to visual stimuli! In the end, put yourself in their shoes: If you opened this email, does the content really add value? Nobody needs fluff. 4. The Testimonial Email Now we're really heading in the right direction. You want to have a nice mix of content emails, and more personal information. At the end of the day, you are trying to get this lead to convert! The testimonial emails really take your marketing email marketing efforts to the next level. Remember, testimonials are an incredibly valuable tool to prove YOU are the right person for the job. However, you don't want it to come across as too "in-your-face." Here are a few pointers for accomplishing that balance. Do: Include recent testimonials. Frame a story around the testimonial. Relate your testimonials to current market updates. Use them as a call to action. (Meaning, include a link to your website where they can read more, or a phone number to speak with you.) Don't: Only include testimonials in the email. Put a seller testimonial in a buyer's email drip campaign. Use an outdated or unrelated testimonial. Place testimonials in the email without any context. Testimonial Email Example: Hi Cindy, I hope you have been able to browse some of the market updates I sent over in my last email. If not, I have a blog post here explaining the current market and how to position yourself as the best buyer in the lot. In this market, it often comes down to negotiations between agents in order to close the deal on a home. And I wanted you to hear a few stories about how I've helped some locals find their perfect properties over the past few months. "Annie worked magic in a market where I never thought I would be able to afford my dream home. She managed the process from start to finish and my family and I could not be happier." -The Jones Family "My home search was full of ups and downs, but Annie never stopped in the search for our home. After helping us sell our current home and find the new place, we could not have asked for a better experience." -Matthew Trice Browse more testimonials on my website here. Starting the search is the first step in finding your perfect property, and I am here to help! Talk soon, Annie Agent 5. The "Get to Know You" Email This email is your opportunity to gather more information about your lead. Up to this point, you may have an email, home search preferences, or a phone number. If you have already spoken, then this email should be more specific to their wants and needs. But if you have not spoken to them yet, use this as your chance to figure out how to customize your value proposition. Try to drive a conversation. These "\Get to Know You emails should be sent within a few weeks of your Welcome email and will also help you to gather specific information about your target audience. According to the Content Marketing Institute: 86% of people skip TV commercials. 44% of direct mail is never opened. 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email they previously opted into. Bottom line: let your readers be in control of their content! Get to Know You Email Example: Hi Cindy, I want to make sure I am sending along the right information to help you with your home-buying decisions. In order for me to show you the best homes available, I'd love to speak with you about your home search. My number is (###) ### – #### if you would like to give me a call. If it's easier, you can reach me at this email! The Ten Most Commonly Asked Questions in Home Buying The Homebuyer Checklist: Everything from Pre-approval to Post Purchase Taxes Please don't hesitate to reach out! Annie Agent 6. The Oh So Subtle "I-Haven't-Heard-From-You" Email We are all wired to get excited when someone likes a status on Facebook, or shares your post on Twitter. So when we don't hear back from leads it becomes frustrating fast. Keep in mind you are approaching strangers in very personal space: their inbox. If you have made it this far and they haven't unsubscribed or marked your emails as spam, then they are keeping you around for a reason. This email is your chance to really pique their interest. Consider including any of the following: Invitation or incentive to use at a local event. Reminder of the tools you have available on your site. Inspirational and recent testimonial. Inquiry into whether or not they still want to receive emails or e-alerts. First Example Hi Cindy, I hope all is well with you and you are seeing a few homes that pique your interest on the site. In case anything has changed, you can easily update your preferences in order to receive properties better catered to your search. Please reply to this email if you would like to be removed from e-alerts and I can do that for you! Change Your Preferences Here! Best, Second Example Hi Cindy, I hope all is well with you and you are seeing a few homes that pique your interest on the site. In other news, we will be at the Downtown Carnival Extravaganza this week running a raffle! We'll have an extra t-shirt waiting on you, so feel free to stop by our booth any time. [Insert Event Image Here] Hope to see you there! 7. The "Request-a-Review" Email Also known as the post-deal email, this is your chance to congratulate your client on their closed deal and inquire about a review. Keep in mind after your client either buys or sells their home the emails are not over. You should have a drip campaign ready to go in order to keep your name top of mind for the years to come. Until then though, you need to ask for a review. "Request-a-Review" Email Example: Hi Cindy, Congratulations! I am so excited for you about your home purchase. This is a big deal and you should be extremely proud of yourself for owning your first home. I will drop by a little gift from our company to you later this week, but until then I wanted to ask a quick favor. As you know, it always helps to have a few nice words to share with future clients. And if you would be so kind as to share a few words about your experience via email or online here, that would be wonderful! Let Us Know How We Did Here! And again, don't forget to submit your permanent residence application this month. We will be in touch to remind you when the date comes closer for that as well. Congratulations again! Agent Annie How to Order Your Email Drip Campaigns The number of emails and order of those emails in a drip campaign are specific to your audience. Leads who wanted to buy yesterday should receive emails more frequently, whereas casual browsers should receive at minimum a monthly check-in. No matter the email, always remember our three rules for all communications: Provide value Make it easy to take action Do NOT make it all about you Happy writing! To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog.

Sharpen Up Your Real Estate Copy
As a real estate agent, odds are you didn't pick this career so you could write the next great American novel. But, just like marketing, writing is a skill that virtually all real estate professionals need to develop. In fact, you could find yourself writing several hundred words every month depending on your goals. Don't worry — that's nowhere near as much as a full-time writer, who may need to put out 50,000 words a week to meet deadlines. But it is substantial enough that sharpening your writing skills will make a difference. After all, your ability to craft your real estate listings with the right words is one of the things that makes them so appealing. You have the opportunity to dazzle your visitors, capture attention, and engage all of their senses. Often, this is the necessary first step before someone books a tour or registers with an open house. Whatever the case, you don't need to have straight As in high school English to be an effective real estate writer. Even if you snoozed through Rhetoric & Composition in college, you can still bring your skills up to snuff. After all, you won't be writing five-paragraph essays in real estate. Instead, you'll be conveying in words what you already understand about your ideal clients. If you know their interests, wants, and needs, you can reflect those in your word choices. The same is true of anything you write about your brand and virtually any other topic. The question is this: how can you accelerate that learning process if you've never written actively before? Getting Ready to Write: Tips to Put You in a Writing Mindset Write with Your Purpose in Mind Copy is writing with the purpose to persuade. When you create copy, you are trying to guide your leads from wherever they are now to the next step in buying or listing a home. With that in mind, the first thing to do is define your purpose. What do you need your reader to do next? Choose every word to further that goal. Tell a Story About Your Listings What makes a listing special? What details about its history, location, or features can you weave together to make someone say, "This is the one"? You might find yourself writing about what it's like to walk down the tree-lined street in the neighborhood or relax by the in-ground pool. All these details add panache to your story. Include Sensory Details Real estate is highly visual, thanks to all the wonderful photography. As a writer, you can also appeal to other senses. If a listing has a big yard, it might call to mind the crackling of meat on the grill, the smell of barbecue, or the sound of songbirds playing in the trees. This fires up leads' imaginations to make them think of home! Technology Tools for Real Estate Agents to Up Their Writing Game Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are not exactly the most interesting subjects. Even the vast majority of pro writers don't get energized thinking about them. They are simply a framework to help you communicate your ideas clearly. If any one of them is missing, it makes your copy harder to understand at a glance. Once you have an idea, you need to execute it. These tools can help: Grammarly is a writing coach that goes beyond the spelling and grammar check of a tool like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. It identifies many common issues, like wordiness and passive voice, that are easy to overlook. It also explains why something is incorrect, enabling you to learn as you go. GrammarLookup bills itself as a free alternative to Grammarly. In addition to its full-featured punctuation and grammar database, it uses AI to learn continuously. It can be used through your favorite browser and does not even require registration. All you have to do is copy and paste your text. ProWritingAid comes in the form of a free browser extension or a paid desktop version. In addition to grammar and spelling, it works as a style editor that helps you ensure your writing is right for your audience. Packed with 20 in-depth writing reports; its goal is to make you a better writer fast. Ginger is a popular spelling and grammar checker that can interface easily with your social media, email client, and many website editors, including WordPress. It even has fully featured mobile versions that will sync up between platforms. Terrific if you need to tap out social media posts or email replies on your phone! Writing can seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Simply imagine that you're talking to a client face-to-face and you can go far. To learn more about using the latest digital marketing technology, contact us. RE Technology readers can try DeltaNET 6 (and its marketing technology) FREE for 30 days. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

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. If you're struggling to keep in touch with prospects, you aren't alone. The average real estate agent loses over 20% of their clients annually. The most common reason for losing these clients? The agent failed to keep in touch. The good news is that it's never too late to reconnect. The key is to take action now to re-establish the relationship. Once you're reconnected, you can start sending those past clients your newsletters or assigning them to a real estate drip email campaign. Here's what to say: Reintroduce yourself Don't assume that your past client remembers your name. Eliminate any awkwardness by clearly describing how you know them. "Hi Susan, this is Candace Green from ABC Realty. It's been a while since we worked together on selling your home on Maple Street." Apologize for falling out of touch It's unlikely that your past client is offended that you haven't been in touch, but it's nice to acknowledge that you'd like to be in touch more often from now on. "I'm sorry that I haven't been in touch more since you've moved. How have you and your family been?" Remind them why you're here Whether or not your past client is currently thinking about moving, you have a lot to offer them. Remind them that you'd like to provide them with ongoing value for all things related to home ownership. "Now that we're back in touch, is there anything I can help you with? I'd be happy to offer you a home appraisal if you're interested. If you've been thinking of making any changes around your home, I'd be happy to recommend some reputable contractors/landscapers/decorators." Update their contact information Don't fall out of touch again because of outdated contact information or old email addresses. Take this opportunity to update your contact's information in your real estate CRM. This way you can begin using email marketing to keep in touch with these important contacts. "While I have you on the phone, I want to make sure I have your current email address. If it's okay with you, I'd like to send you occasional emails about home ownership. What's your email address?" Appreciate referrals Some of your highest quality real estate leads come from your satisfied past clients. Remind them how much you appreciate their referrals. "If you know of anyone who is considering buying or selling, feel free to share my contact information with them. I really appreciate referrals from past clients." Say thank you Don't forget to thank your past client for their time and understanding. Let them know that you'll be in touch more regularly from now on. "Thanks for taking the time to chat today; it was really nice reconnecting with you. I'll be in touch every so often. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any real estate or home-related questions." Update the contact profile What kind of information did you past client offer you? Did they mention that they are thinking about moving in the next two years? Are they recent empty-nesters who are considering downsizing? In addition to updating the contact information in your real estate CRM, make notes on any other information your past client shared with you. You can even set some reminders for yourself to reach out to them again in a few months to ask if they're still considering moving. Be sure to keep in touch When in the process of reconnecting with past real estate clients, remember not to make the same mistake of falling out of touch again. Now that you've reconnected with your past client, assign them to your monthly e-Newsletter so they consistently receive email communications from you. If your past client mentioned that they might be considering moving, you can assign them to an Activity Plan created specifically for seller leads. To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.

How to Write the Perfect Real Estate Agent Bio
Making a good first impression online is far more difficult than doing so in-person. When you're face-to-face, your countenance and body language can express friendliness and confidence while you verbally make a connection and communicate your local market knowledge and overall expertise. Conversely, conveying all those points through a written real estate agent bio takes some wordsmithing. 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. Define your voice The first thing you need to do for your real estate agent bio—and any other content you plan to write, like ads, blog posts and social media posts—is to nail down your voice. This refers to your style of writing, and it's what will make your content unique. If you aren't sure what your voice is like, start by writing a note to a friend. In it, tell that person about an experience you recently had. You won't ultimately share the note with anyone, but after writing it, you'll be able to see the type of words you typically use and the style in which you use them. Take this same approach when you write your bio. And keep these three points in mind: Be authentic – Use your words, not the words you think people want to hear. Your tone should match your personality. Don't eliminate contractions if you typically use them. Don't use formal language if you speak casually. Be confident – Stop yourself from reading anyone else's bio before writing your own. Comparing your background and accomplishments to other real estate agents won't help you write about yourself. If you're confident enough to do your job, then you should also be confident in your experience. That's why we're not sharing any examples of other bios. Putting ideas in your head is the perfect way to ensure you won't be writing with authenticity. Share your passion – Why does your work excite you? Weave your enthusiasm for your job into your bio. No one wants to work with a two-dimensional agent. Showing passion will make others feel eager to work with you. Cover the necessary details Although you're writing your real estate agent bio in your own voice, there are still important points you need to address along the way. Here is a list to get you started. It's not exhaustive because, well, everyone is unique. If you have other tidbits of information you want to share with potential leads and prospects, you shouldn't hesitate to add it in! Your name (for example, don't write Michael if everyone calls you Mike) Your title Your specialty (first-time buyers, luxury homes, investment properties, working with veterans) Your standout skills (great negotiator, highly responsive, in-depth knowledge of the market) Current track record and accolades Trainings, certifications, education Market specialities (specific neighborhoods, housing types) A friendly photo Social proof, such as testimonials (place these at the end) Other things to consider including: Elevator pitch about why clients choose you Your approach to every client relationship and the overall transaction Relatable stories that show you understand the needs of buyers and/or sellers Personal details (share information like how many kids you have, your pet's name, your hobbies, likes and dislikes) If you're part of a team, talk about the people who clients might interact with or who support you behind the scenes, like an admin, marketer, stagers, et al. Don't forget that people often skim when they are reading online. If you really want to grab their attention, make every sentence engaging and worth the read. Start with a strong opening. That could be a story about why you got into real estate, how you work with clients or what sets you apart from your competition. Finally, consider whether you want your bio to be in the first or third person. There's no right answer, and you may consider writing it both ways to see which you like better. Proofread It goes without saying that you should proofread your real estate agent bio after you write it. But you may also want to read it aloud to see if it sounds natural and authentic. Then send it to a few people, including colleagues, who will give you honest feedback. When you ask them to read it, be specific in what type of feedback you'd like to receive. For example, you may want to ask whether it is engaging, makes you sound like a trusted agent, conveys your expertise well enough or is too long. Determine where to publish your real estate agent bio Consider your real estate agent bio as a piece of marketing. You should spread it far and wide so that buyers and sellers face no hurdles when they try to learn more about you. Here's a starting point for where you should publish your bio: Your brokerage's website Your personal agent website Your Google business profile Your Facebook business page Printed collateral displayed at open houses and elsewhere To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

Real Estate Prospecting Letter Examples and Tips
Snail mail in this day and age? Certainly! The real estate prospecting letter is not dead. In fact, it does a much better job of catching someone's attention than yet another email sent to an already-flooded inbox. When done well, a letter seems personal and doesn't make people feel like they're part of a mass-mailing effort. And that's important for a job that is built on relationships, not transactions. Use this to your advantage and include postal mail as part of your marketing strategy. But before you jump into writing your own, read our tips on writing an effective letter. If you find that writer's block is getting in your way, feel free to draw inspiration from our real estate prospecting letter examples, too. Letter Writing Tips First, you need to take into account how many prospecting letters you'll be sending out. If you're planning on a mass mailing, then writing them out by hand is off the table. But if you're a fan of targeted prospecting, which is much more effective anyway, then you should take the time to pen the letters yourself—on your brokerage's letterhead, if you have it. This adds that personal touch and will make people more inclined to respond. (You might know this in digital marketing speak as increasing your conversion rate.) Although we're providing you with templates, they're just a starting point. You should write your real estate prospecting letters in your own words. Be authentic. It will help the recipient connect with you so you can start building that all-important relationship. Finally, always personalize the letter. Avoid generic greetings like "Dear sir/ma'am" and "To whom it may concern." Include details that are specific to their neighborhood or the property's history to show that you've done your homework. This is much easier to do when your marketing is targeted. For example, if you're using Homesnap Pro's Likelihood to List tool to find prospects for your mailing list, you can pull home details from the property listing page and get the homeowner's first name from their associated profile. Real Estate Prospecting Letter Examples Now that you're aware of some do's and don'ts, it's time to get writing! Use these real estate prospecting letter examples as a starting point for your targeted marketing efforts. Basic Introduction Letter Hi [First Name], I want to introduce myself, and I thought you might enjoy receiving a letter instead of another email. My name is [Name], and I'm a real estate agent working with [Team Name at Brokerage]. I represent homeowners in [Neighborhood]. Most recently, I sold the home at [address]. This is a highly desirable neighborhood, and homes are generally selling above asking price and going under contract in an average of [##] days! [Include a sentence specific to their property, whether it's a valuation estimate or a nod to their home equity.] With the market trends I've been seeing, we could sell your home quickly and for a price I think you'd be very pleased with. If you become interested in selling, purchasing another home or just want to ask some real estate questions, please feel free to reach out at any time. I would be happy to help! Best wishes, [Name] [your contact information] Why it works: The introduction is friendly while letting the recipient know that you're an active, successful agent in their neighborhood. The letter also shows your market and property-specific knowledge and expresses confidence when it comes to selling their particular home. Interested Buyer Letter Hi [First Name], I'm [Name], a real estate agent with [Team Name at Brokerage], representing local buyers and sellers. I'm currently working with a motivated buyer who is very interested in living in [Neighborhood]. They love [Include neighborhood characteristics. If you have a buyer who is interested in this specific property, include details.]. I'm not sure if you're aware of the local market trends, but homes have been selling in record time and above asking price! [Include some specific stats or data.] It's a great time to be a seller in [Neighborhood]! Do you have any interest in selling if the price is right? Feel free to contact me at any time if you are—or even if you just have questions about the market or your home's value. I would be happy to chat! If you're not interested in putting your home on the market but know a neighbor who is, I would love to connect with them. Best wishes, [Name] [your contact information] Why it works: If you have a buyer interested in the neighborhood but inventory is low, this is a great way to help expand their options while potentially earning you new seller clients. By letting the recipient know how hot the market is, you're warming them up to the idea of selling and instilling confidence that they'll be happy with the outcome. Property Analysis Letter Hi [First Name], I want to introduce myself, and I thought you might enjoy receiving a letter instead of another email. My name is [Name], and I'm a real estate agent working with [Team Name at Brokerage]. I represent homeowners in [Neighborhood]. Most recently, I sold the home at [address] and [include an outcome, such as for % above asking price or in ## days]. It's a fantastic time to sell, especially in [Neighborhood]! [Include market trends or stats.] Are you aware of what you could get for your home right now? I've done a competitive analysis and can share that information with you if you're interested. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! Let me know if you want to learn more about the analysis, your home's value or the market trends in [Neighborhood]. I'd be happy to chat at any time. Just reach out to me at [your contact information]. Best wishes, [Name] Why it works: You are establishing your expertise both in real estate and in this specific neighborhood. Mentioning but withholding CMA information should pique their interest. If the homeowner has any inclination to explore selling, they will be likely to follow up with you. Final Thoughts You'll notice some commonalities among all these letters. They: Have a friendly yet professional tone Are short and to the point Establish credentials Share market knowledge and expertise Provide a clear explanation of why you're writing End with a call-to-action and your contact info Make sure your real estate prospecting letter checks these boxes, whether you are writing a general prospecting letter, an open house follow-up or to persuade an FSBO or an expired listing owner to work with you. Before you seal the envelope, don't forget to drop in your business card. Although your contact information is on the letter, it's always wise to include your card. For one, it likely includes details that you didn't write down, such as your website URL. It also makes it easy for the recipient to pass your information to someone else they know who is interested in buying or selling. Give your letters some time to arrive at their destination. Then, follow up with a friendly call if you haven't heard from the recipients. Make sure they are included in your audience list for any digital ads you're running. That will help improve brand awareness and keep you top of mind. This multi-channel approach is one of the best ways to optimize your marketing! To view the original article, visit the Homesnap blog.

Virtual Networking Ideas for Real Estate Agents
Networking with your clients and community safely can be a challenge these days. As community leaders, real estate agents can help safely connect members of their communities through online networking events. Consider what your specific community is interested in to come up with networking opportunities that would work for your. For inspiration, check out the ideas below.

Asking: the Secret to Getting More Reviews
Reviews are one of the most powerful marketing tools in a real estate agent's arsenal. When a buyer or seller looks for a real estate agent, they'll typically start by asking someone they know for a recommendation or by searching for agents or homes online. Having your positive reviews online places you as a contender for that person's business. And knowing which of your clients were happy enough with your service to recommend you to their family and friends means you can create a plan to follow up with those people throughout the coming years; they'll always know how to get in touch with you and have you top of mind.

Integrating 'The Flood Discussion' into Your Real Estate Practice
Recent studies indicate that 41 million homes across the US are at risk of flooding -- a number significantly higher than is indicated by FEMA flood maps. This new data highlights a nationwide cause for concern for homeowners, including many in areas previously thought to be at low risk. In South Florida, as many as 1 in 3 residential properties are in danger of sustaining flood damage. Leading Realtors are getting ahead of the curve by integrating "The Flood Discussion" into their real estate practice. Here are five takeaways to integrate flood into your work with your customers, to make you the most knowledgeable, confident, and profitable Realtor in your market. 1. On the Buyer Side, include flood as a housing criteria We are used to setting criteria based on location, pricing, number of bedrooms, etc. Flooding, for example, has historically been an afterthought. With a 30-year investment — typically the biggest investment of our customer's life — it's critical to put flooding on the list of criteria, especially with the frequency of storms all across the country. Note: while flood has historically been a 'coastal' issue, flooding is occurring more frequently across the interior of the US. 2. On the Seller Side, do your research on the listing property More and more, the question of flooding and impact of weather is going to come up regarding the listing. So get out in front and ask your owners the 'tough questions' about the history of flooding and other climate-related issues. It will be better to know the facts, so you can present them professionally, accurately, and appropriately in the marketing of the property. 3. Understand the 'total cost of flood ownership' As we evaluate properties with the customer — listing price, taxes, utilities, homeowners insurance — it's important to integrate new terms like Flood Zone, Flood Risk and Flood Insurance. Note: It's important to remember that flood insurance is NOT included in homeowners insurance, and it is a separate insurance policy. Yes, no one likes to add costs. Yet, given that one storm can cause $$$$$ of damage in the blink of an eye, it's critical to evaluate a property's risk profile with your customer's risk tolerance. Across much of South Florida and the United States, home buyers can secure 'peace of mind' flood insurance for reasonable rates. 4. Investigate the two flood insurance options: NFIP and Private Insurance Most Americans are aware of NFIP — which stands for National Flood Insurance Program, managed by FEMA. Based on a flood mapping system, NFIP has standard coverage limits of $250,000 for buildings and $100,000 for personal property based on the flood zone where the property is located. In the South Florida market, for example, more than 30 private insurance companies have begun to offer flood insurance over the last several years. Private insurance companies generally price flood insurance based on a property's latitude and longitude coordinates, as well as over 200 data points to calculate the exact price-risk profile per property. To better understand these differences and the options available for a property, consider getting one NFIP and one Private Flood Insurance Quote. 5. From Contract-to-Close, engage a licensed flood insurance expert Let's be honest, Flood Insurance is confusing and is best left to the experts who practice it each and every day. Most importantly, engaging a licensed flood insurance professional separates any potential issue of Errors and Omissions from the REALTOR® and their customer's real estate transaction. Acadian Insurance offers a free consultation for all Miami REALTORS® and their customers. In 15 minutes, the Acadian Team can provide you with all the knowledge you and your customers need to make smart, informed, confident decisions. If you are interested in learning more, access our free eBook: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Flood Insurance* (*But Were Afraid To Ask) CartoFront is a technology services company that is simplifying flood insurance for REALTORS(R), their clients, and insurance agents. If you are interested in learning how you can bring CartoFront to your MLS for free, please contact [email protected]

Your Script to Cold Call Landlords During COVID
Apartment units and buildings that are put up for rent by the owner (FRBOs) are a valuable asset for agents. They allow you to work directly with landlords, get accurate information for your clients, and keep 100% of the commission. One of the best ways to enter into a partnership with a FRBO is to pick up the phone and call them! But we know that cold-calling can make even the savviest agents start to sweat, so we want to help out real estate agents with a script to cold call landlords during COVID.

Real Estate Content Marketing: 5 Easy Tips to Follow
When you're investing in content, you're focusing on providing value to your potential clients. This makes content marketing one of the most effective ways to generate seller and buyer leads. Wondering how to make real estate content marketing right? Check out the five tips below. They will focus on the most effective content types to give you a headstart.

[Best of 2020] Friday Freebie: Download a COVID-19 Postcard and Reach Out to Your Sphere
We're continuing an annual tradition of counting down our top 10 articles of the year. The following article was originally published in May and is #3 in our countdown. See #4 here. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live--and the way we need to communicate. Gone are the days, for example, when agents could send their contacts a calendar of local events (what events, right?). So how do we communicate in this new era while remaining sensitive to changing norms and our sphere's changing needs? Find out for yourself in this week's Friday Freebie. We're introducing you to a series of coronavirus-related postcards that hit just the right note for reaching out to those who matter most to your real estate business. Free download from the COVID-19 postcard series by ProspectsPLUS! What kind of postcard messaging strikes the right tone during the coronavirus era? That depends on the type of real estate agent YOU are. Whether humorous, helpful or nurturing, there's a postcard with a voice that matches yours in today's Friday Freebie. RE Technology readers can download one free postcard from a library of 115 different postcards designs in eight content categories, courtesy of ProspectsPLUS! Here's a look at the types of postcard you can send to your sphere: Animals: Use humor to connect with clients with funny animal postcards. At Home: Offer helpful at-home advice for how clients can fill their downtime. Comfort Foods: Strike a nurturing tone with recipes for making comfort food. Content Cards: Remind clients you're the helpful home expert with home maintenance tips and more. Definitions: Gently stay top of mind with these trendy outreach cards. Inspiration Cards: Remind your sphere that brighter days are ahead with motivational designs. Looking for Listings: The market is still active! Remind homeowners that now is still a great time to sell. Virtual Marketing: Are you a tech wizard who knows how to thrive in these times? Show off your virtual tour capabilities, remote meeting skills and more! Download any COVID-19 series postcard for free with promo code FREECARD. Your postcard includes your choice of design on the front and your customized contact information on the back. Print your postcard at home or share it on social media, via email, and on your website. Download your FREE postcard today with promo code FREECARD at checkout!

[Best of 2020] Are You Unknowingly Encouraging Sellers to List as FSBOs?
We're continuing an annual tradition of counting down our top 10 articles of the year. The following article was originally published in September and is #5 in our countdown. See #6 here. A recent Facebook post by a top-producing agent read: "I recommend that all sellers try for sale by owner." I couldn't believe it when I read it, so I read it twice. Yep, that's what it said alright. It just didn't use those words. Here's what it did say: "Congratulations to my clients who received six offers in eight hours. The real estate market is HOT, HOT, HOT!" Potential home sellers might interpret this post as, "Why do I need to pay an agent if the market is so 'HOT, HOT, HOT?' Maybe I should try to sell by myself."

Lost in Translation: A Realtor's Guide to Working with Remote Clients
To understand and communicate within the world's web of multicultural societies requires skill. Language barriers, cultural differences, and terminology can cause confusion when building consumer relationships around the globe. How do you, as a Realtor, keep everyone from getting lost in translation when working with clients outside your current city of business? Remote clients can come from as close as your own backyard or as distant as halfway around the world. Either way, working with clients whom you have never seen face to face has some challenges and rewards.

Put the Power of Text Message Marketing to Work for You
As you read this story, four out of five Americans own a smartphone. Include in that number those folks who use phones that aren't app-friendly, and you get 96%. It's a sure bet nearly everyone who needs your real estate services also uses a mobile phone daily. And although not all phones can play Angry Birds, virtually all are designed to receive text messages. Formally called SMS text––the acronym stands for Short Message Service—text messaging has exploded in popularity over the last decade. And texting isn't just for teens any longer. During 2017, experts estimated that about 26 billion text messages were sent each day in the United States. That adds up to over 780 billion texts monthly and more than 9.3 trillion every year. People of all ages use text messages. Because they will often text with friends and loved ones instead of calling, texters are likely to check their messages within minutes of a new notification. Sure, there are some caveats. Most people aren't checking texts in the middle of a meeting at work––we hope. All in all, though, mobile research firm MobileSquared says 90% of people read a new text within three minutes of getting it. Three minutes! Not surprisingly, this means text messages rock for real estate professionals. In a report published by the National Association of REALTORS®, 94% of REALTORS® said the method they preferred to communicate with clients was text messaging. In 2020, there are huge horizons for growth. And there are plenty of good reasons why you should take advantage of text messaging for your real estate business. Stop Calling, Start Texting If someone reaches out to you on your website, calling them right away makes good business sense. Calling a prospect back within five minutes is estimated to increase your chances of a successful contact by a factor of 100. After all, they are expecting it. And the faster you are, the more impressive it is! But what about all those times when a prospect or lead isn't interested in a call? An unwanted phone call is about as interruptive as it gets. It's exactly what people think of when they think of pushy, unwanted sales behavior. On the other hand, people willingly look to text messaging when they want to communicate––but don't want to stop their whole day to do it. With that in mind, text messaging is a phenomenal way to stay in touch. From the sales associate's perspective, texting makes plenty of sense. Texting is extremely cost-effective. Compared to virtually any other marketing technique you can name, you'll pay fractions of pennies for your text messages. You can customize texts and even automate the process based on each prospect's interests and past behavior. That means texting gives you a superpower all associates should have: Personalization. From email to social media and everything else in between, effective digital marketing thrives on personalization. Every communication should be relevant, friendly, and helpful. Text messaging makes it easy: Your messages arrive when your prospect is most likely to see them and contain only information useful to that person––without having to do it all by hand. But there is one caveat before you begin. Understanding the Ins and Outs of Opting Out Are you using your real estate website to turn prospects into leads? You should be! The odds are good you're already collecting some information about your prospects as they use your site. You may even already have an email subscriber list. Just as you can't send emails to people without their consent, you also need to be sure they affirmatively opt into texts. Rules about this are much more strict in Europe, but the U.S. is catching up. America's most comprehensive data privacy rules recently went live in California, and other states are following. So, whenever you collect phone numbers, be sure you set expectations upfront. Forms should never come with an "accept text messages" box pre-ticked, and your text should let subscribers know how often they can expect to hear from you before they commit. Likewise, anyone on your list should be able to withdraw consent at any time by texting back. Sending unwanted texts after an unsubscribe request could expose you to fines. Luckily, many of these issues are automated for you with the right software. How to Use Text Messages to Convert More Leads Texting has a tremendous amount of potential. But how do you tap into it? Luckily, there are a few powerful formulas for effective real estate text messages: Text Important Property Listings and Updates - In 2017, the National Association of REALTORS® found that 62% of all buyers prefer having property info sent to them via text message. You can start this process even before you speak to a prospect, based on the listings they've spent the most time on while browsing your website. Once the relationship develops, a text is a great way to send leads info about a weekly spotlight property. Start New Conversations With a Question - It's important to talk with prospects, not at them. Text messages should provide an opening for conversation––and a question is very difficult to ignore. Keep it short, simple, and personalized: "What's the #1 thing you're looking for in a home, Bob?" will get Bob thinking about his ideal next home and give you details to start narrowing down his interests. Follow Up From Live Events Like Open Houses - Open house attendees are active leads, but they can still take months to make a decision. Follow up with your event attendees by text – right away and again if you don't hear from them in three to five days. The property they saw might not have inspired them, but the text can keep the fires burning. If they're still interested, roll out those property listings! Rekindle Cold Leads with Follow-Up Texts - Since it only takes a few seconds to read and respond to a text, most people don't mind getting them even if they've fallen off the radar. Again, a question works well: "Hi, Joan. Are you still interested in a home here in Walnut Creek?" In most cases, the worst thing that can happen is nothing at all. But now and then, you could open the way to another great sale. A Quick Text Can Move Mountains In a service-oriented field like real estate, the key to marketing is to be where the customers are. It only takes a quick look around at a store or restaurant to see most of them are on their phones! Phones are now an intimate part of our lives, shaping our daily experiences. And even the most important professional relationships, like yours with your clients, can start and develop there. Sure, you won't do all your marketing by text message. But it is a powerful way to expand your presence and augment the other marketing you do on your website and in person. In real estate marketing, the right emoji at the right time can be worth a thousand words! Not getting your copy of Delta Media Group's magazine, Real Estate Marketing & Technology? Sign up today. Your subscription is FREE. To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.

Discover the Dos and Don'ts of Text Marketing for Real Estate
Over the last few years, Millennials have turned up in the housing market by the thousands leaving, many wondering what they want when it comes to real estate. The future is now, and Millennials are here: Pew Research found they've been the largest generation in the U.S. labor force since 2018. That same year, NAR said they were the largest cohort of homebuyers, which has continued to hold true so far. What does this have to do with SMS marketing?

5 Tips to Creating Calls-to-Action that Work!
How many e-mails do you receive daily that promise you high quality leads to generate business? Now ask around... how many people actually see a cost/benefit to these services? Now more than ever is the time to stand out above the crowd to give your audience the answers they are looking for when searching on the internet. The benefit is that now YOU can provide the Information that will generate leads rather than lay out huge sums of money that may not work for you. And it all starts with powerful calls-to-action that will work for you and your individual market.

The Ultimate Zoom Playbook for Lead Generation
Doing business online has been a growing trend in the real estate business for years. However, 2020 circumstances have forced many Realtors to move, fully or partly, to an online environment. Zoom meetings are a very useful tool for doing real estate tasks on the web. But did you know that there is more to Zoom than just video conferencing, including lead generation opportunities?