4 Ways to Invest in Yourself
As the saying goes: you can't pour from an empty cup. And it's not just the stuff of self-help literature, it's a fact — you can't be your best and beat the competition without taking care of and investing in yourself first. Throughout your career, it's crucial to assess where you are, and not just for the sake of ensuring you're hitting a target or a specific number. You want to ensure you're investing back in yourself, and that the investment you make translates back out into your business. 1. Learn a New Skill What better way to invest back into yourself than by putting in the time, effort, and dedication to learning a new skill or two? Take a beat to sit down and jot down a list of all the technical skills you'd like to improve but just haven't had the time to tackle. Maybe it's becoming a whiz at your team's CRM. How about writing great copy for your email sends? Or, this is the year you learn the ins and outs of optimizing your marketing ROI. Let the ideas flow, and then stack-rank them with your top three picks. Next, check out online or local courses, or even tapping the shoulder of a colleague, to see how you can improve in each of those areas. By investing in improving and diversifying your skill set, you're truly investing in yourself. You can also pivot this to be focused more on your professional development. Are you eager to sharpen your negotiation skills? Is there a niche in real estate you'd love to learn more about? Or could your presentation skills use some tightening up? Whatever it is, go forth and pursue it relentlessly. Not only will your real estate biz benefit, you never know — you just might find your next passion. 2. Get Involved with Your Local Real Estate Association Your local real estate association is a wealth of access to so many opportunities that can directly translate to your day-to-day work. By getting involved with your local association, you can get access to a wide variety of training offerings, exclusive market research and MLS listings, and opportunities to attend conferences. And, because you're rubbing elbows with fellow real estate pros, it's an excellent way to network. 3. Choose a Mentor in the Business World You likely already have a mentor in the real estate industry (and if you don't, you should), but have you considered partnering up with a mentor in the business world? A mentor doesn't have to be involved in real estate for you to learn things from them, especially in the world of business. Business has a vast selection of concepts and best practices, all of which can help amplify your real estate business. Tapping into a business mentor can also allow you to explore a variety of new skills that can translate over to your world of real estate. If there is an area you want to better understand, find someone that can teach you that is already an expert in that area. Wish you were a master at running a business of your own? Want to improve your skills overcoming objections? Need a refresher on networking, both virtually and online? A business mentor can help with all of the above. 4. Get Involved in Your Community Believe it or not, helping others can be the gateway to helping yourself. A great way to invest in yourself is by getting involved in your community. It may sound counterintuitive, but think about it: by rolling up your sleeves and helping out where you live, you can make an actual difference and true impact on your community members. Most surprisingly, volunteering and giving back has been found by researchers to have clear health benefits, both physically and mentally, as well as help build new skills and connections. Furthermore, being involved in your community allows you to become an expert in your area, which directly translates back to knowledge you can use to help your buyers and sellers. As an added bonus, getting your name, face, and assistance out in your local area helps build up your brand, too. Your path to learning, growth, and self-improvement should be a continuous journey. By investing in yourself, in turn, you can offer a better version of yourself to others and to the world around you. This causes a ripple effect out into your real estate business, leading to better client experiences, more confidence in your deals, and masterful management of all that comes your way. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog. Related reading 9 Traits of Wildly Successful Agents How to Accentuate the Positive in Your Real Estate Career From Plan to Reality: Making Goals and Sticking to Them

Plunk unlocks confident investing in real estate
Welcome back to our "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" series, which highlights articles around a monthly theme. August's theme is "Finding more homes for sale." Read on for tips and tricks for finding business even in challenging market: Plunk just announced the launch of Plunk Pro for residential real estate investors, advisors and analysts. This is quite exciting news, since Plunk was only available at the enterprise level through API access. "Stockbrokers and investors have had access to real-time data for decades and currently deal with an average trade size of $10,000 — which is much less than a real estate deal," stated Ian Brillembourg, Plunk's Head of Mobile Product. "The average sales price of a home in the US was $495,100 as of Q2 2023 — yet until now, there was no way for real estate brokers and investors to have access to real-time property valuation data and analysis," he added. Plunk tracks over 104 million homes nationwide to give users the most comprehensive home valuation data in real time, in addition to predictive home investment analysis and risk assessment. Plunk Pro is a web- and mobile-based application that provides real-time access to the following: Plunk Home Value: What is this home worth — right now? Plunk's proprietary, Dynamic Valuation Model (next-generation AVM), updated in real time. Plunk Refined Value: Can I improve this home's valuation accuracy? User-generated valuation allows a user to correct or update up to 31 attributes of a home to improve accuracy or play 'what if' scenarios — and get an immediate, refined value. Home Compare: Why is this home worth more or less than the neighbor's? Demonstrates how a home compares to others in the neighborhood, including number of bedrooms, bathrooms and stories, plus finished square footage, year built and home condition. Real-time Market Insights: How is the local housing market performing? Real-time access to median days on market, media list price, price per square foot, inventory, days of inventory and sale vs. list price. Plunk Remodel Value: What is this home's maximum potential renovated value? The future, fully-remodeled value of a home. Project Recommendations: What improvements can be made to increase this home's value? Renovation projects with the best return on investment. "We're on a mission to unlock confident investing in the largest asset class in the world, leveraging next generation applications of AI and deep learning," said Brian Lent, Co-founder and CEO of Plunk. Plunk Pro is designed for individual users and small teams. For more information on Plunk Pro visit www.plunkpro.com. Plunk's AI-powered home analytics are also available for enterprise customers via API. For more information on API access, visit www.getplunk.com/developers. Kurt Kreager has over 40 years of experience in buying, selling, and managing real estate for buyers, sellers, and investors. He is currently a Managing Broker with Coldwell Banker Danforth and a lead advisor on real estate services at Plunk.

How to Invest in Real Estate Tech
Looking to invest in real estate tech? Here's a closer look at how to do just that. The Investment Environment When considering an investment in the real estate space, most people think of rental properties or fixing-and-flipping. Others may be familiar with real estate investment trusts (REITs). These traditional investments help individuals generate returns from real estate assets. Real estate tech investments are structurally different. Rather than funding real estate purchases and development, investors bet on the growth and profitability of specific real estate tech companies. Traditional real estate and real estate tech are certainly linked, but growth rates between the sectors can vary. Once largely limited to venture capital firms and institutional investors, real estate tech investment opportunities have become more widely available thanks to several market changes in recent years. The first notable change occurred in 2012 with the passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which eased restrictions on crowdfunding for the first time. Under the law, sponsors could raise up to $1.07 million in a 12-month period from an unlimited number of investors. Crowdfunding allowed early-stage real estate tech companies to rely on their clients and others to raise money outside of traditional markets. Changes adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commision in November 2020 will increase crowdfunding limits to $5 million. The proliferation of stock trading apps also have helped make the market more accessible to individual investors in recent years. Companies such as Robinhood have grown rapidly by making commission-free trading possible directly from a smartphone. The popularity of these apps and their ease-of-use have also attracted new investors to the stock market. Robinhood reported 3 million new accounts in the first half of 2020 alone. Finally, general growth in the real estate sector has helped create new opportunities for investors. As more real estate tech companies form and go public, individuals have more diverse investment options. According to CRETI, nearly 6,000 new real estate tech companies have formed since 2016. How to Invest in Real Estate Tech Given this new environment, there are several ways individuals can invest in real estate tech and take advantage of growth in the sector. Here are some options. Stocks Stocks are one of the more traditional ways to invest in real estate tech. Stocks allow individuals to select specific real estate tech companies for investment. The companies must be publicly owned and freely traded on an exchange. Stock investors generate returns by taking a small stake in the company. This stake can increase in value as the company grows and becomes more profitable. Stock owners also have the right to any dividend payments issued by the company. Some of the most prominent public companies operating in the real estate tech space are Zillow Group (ZG), a property portal and marketplace, Redfin Corp (RDFN), a discount brokerage, and Opendoor Technologies (OPEN), an iBuyer. The advantages of investing in real estate tech stocks include the ability to generate high returns from fast growing companies and the ease of selling in a liquid market. Mobile platforms have also made buying and selling stocks much easier in recent years. The primary disadvantage of investing in real estate tech stocks is risk. Companies can go bankrupt, and individuals can lose their investment. It takes time and experience to minimize risk in stocks. Investors should research the companies they are targeting, assess their business models and evaluate their prospects for future growth. ETFs ETFs, or exchange traded funds, include a basket of securities, providing a more diversified investment than single stocks. ETFs can include stocks from a set of related companies or from a specific industry. This allows individuals to invest in a sector as a whole and take advantage of broad, industry-wide growth while limiting exposure to any individual company failures. While asset managers have yet to create ETFs specifically for proptech, individuals looking to invest in the sector can turn to other ETFs that include real estate tech companies, such as the Hoya Capital Housing ETF (HOMZ), which targets residential real estate including homebuilders, REITS, and real estate tech, and the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF), which invests in financial technology and some companies that cross over into real estate tech. The primary advantage of investing in real estate tech via ETFs is diversification. By investing in several companies instead of just one, investors can reduce risk and link their investments to the performance of the industry as a whole. ETFs are also bought and sold like stock, giving investors the ability to find price information and execute trades. The disadvantages of investing in real estate tech via ETFs are the current options. For whatever reason, asset managers have not yet fully incorporated real estate tech companies into ETFs the way they have for other technology sectors. ETFs also generally offer lower yields than stocks due to the tradeoff between risk and returns. Crowdfunding Crowdfunding is a fundraising option for private companies. Companies that use crowdfunding are typically small, or they are in an early stage of development. Crowdfunding allows these companies to raise small amounts of money from a large number of people. Investors may earn returns when a crowdfunded company is sold or goes public. The internet has led to a proliferation of crowdfunding platforms, especially in the wake of the 2012 JOBS Act. Some of the most popular are Republic and StartEngine. As an investment strategy for real estate tech, crowdfunding offers low barriers to entry and the ability to support companies in their early stages. Crowdfunding platforms also serve as a sort of marketplace of ideas. With as little as $10 on some platforms, investors can choose among the various companies available, vote with their wallets and fund the products and services they want to see in their industry. The disadvantages of crowdfunding for real estate tech is the risk and the likelihood of a delayed payoff. Many early-stage products and companies will ultimately fail, leaving their backers with losses. For those that do succeed, it may take years for them to reach their full potential. Also, individuals contributing small amounts cannot expect large returns on their investments. SPACs A SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, is a publicly listed company whose sole purpose is to identify and purchase a private firm so it can have publically listed stock. A SPAC is formed by a sponsor who generally has an expertise in a particular business sector. Once formed, a SPAC usually has two years to complete an acquisition. SPACs have grown in popularity as an investment vehicle in recent years. Opendoor Technologies went public via a SPAC in 2020. People can invest in a SPAC just like they invest in a private company, either through individual securities purchases or as part of an ETF. Several new SPACs, including PropTech Investment Corporation II (PTICU) and Crown PropTech Acquisitions (CPTK.U), have been set up to target and acquire real estate technology businesses. The advantages of investing in real estate tech via SPACs include the ability to choose a proptech-specific sponsor, and the ability for individual investors to participate as a company goes public. If the SPAC trades up after announcing a merger, investors stand to earn on their shares. The primary disadvantage of SPACs is the risk to the investor. SPAC investors may bet on sponsors with limited information about the companies they will ultimately target. The growing popularity of SPACs has also raised questions from analysts about the number of eligible companies to acquire. There simply may not be enough companies to take public for all the new sponsors. Now you know how to invest in real estate tech. Not Financial Advice The content provided is for informational purposes only. It should not be taken as financial advice or used to make any investment or financial decisions. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Maximizing ROI: The Art of Presale Renovations for Real Estate Investors
One of the hottest ways to attract real estate investors in today's market is using a presale renovation to help maximize property value or to turn an as-is listing into a ready-to-rent home. Often, presale renovations are used for luxury properties because they quickly accelerate the property's value to help sellers maximize their profits. But presale renovations can work with a wide range of property prices and sizes. Real estate investors looking to sell one of their properties are the perfect candidates for using a presale renovation solution. Moreover, real estate investors may be especially attracted to single-family home listings that have gone through a presale renovation because it accelerates their ability to rent and manage their investment — which, over time, maximizes their ROI, or return on investment. The alternative is both scary and risky. Real estate investors looking to self-flip a home will find limited inventory in most markets. In addition, self-flipping also increases their risks, delays the start of their rental income stream, and requires tying up significant financial resources that may be better used elsewhere. It's why most real estate investors today are attracted to homes that are sold ready to rent and why they see presale renovations for their own property sales as no-brainers. Presale renovation protection Investors know from industry research that while typical renovations will help increase a home’s value, most won’t recoup their investment costs, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2022 Cost vs. Value Report. But when using a presale renovation expert, such as Revive, the renovation is covered by the increase in value of the investment, or the property itself. The average ROI from Revive is 2.5x the original cost of the upgrades. This is where the "art of presale" renovation creates the right math. At Revive, the focus is on making improvements that will maximize the home's value. The expertise gained through hundreds of improvement projects nationwide enables Revive to focus only on projects that will create a positive ROI. For the selling real estate investor, it means higher final sales prices than if they marketed their property as-is. Real estate investors buying a property are protected from all the financial, supply, contracting, design, engineering, and other risks that a self-renovation can bring. When a real estate investor buys a home that has completed a presale renovation, they purchase a home that they are confident will have staying power. When buying a place that has gone through a presale renovation by Revive, real estate investors know the high quality of the finished product. What you need to know Here are three things you need to know as a real estate agent to tap into the real estate investor market: 1. Know your sphere Most successful real estate agents get the majority of their business from their sphere of influence, or SOI. According to the National Association of Realtors, agents earning more than $100,000 annually generate 64 percent of their business from the SOI. About 30 percent of their business comes from client referrals and 34 percent from repeat business. Dig into your client database. Comb through your transactions and look for clients who you know either currently own an investment property or are poised to discuss investment diversification and the advantages of real estate investment. As part of your regular client and sphere outreach, offer information about the opportunities in today’s market for real estate investment. Don't forget to contact investment advisors, trust and real estate attorneys, insurance agents, and others who provide financial advice. Let them know about the real estate services you offer for real estate investors. Finally, look for local real estate investor clubs, Facebook Groups, and other social online networking opportunities to connect you to others interested in real estate investment. 2. Know your market U.S. Census data shows there are about 20 million rental properties in the U.S. and 48.2 million rental units. Individual investors own some 70 percent of all rental properties. While companies own about 18 percent of rental properties, they invest heavily in apartment rentals, owning 45 percent of all units. Most real estate investment purchases are all cash. Three-quarters (75.3 percent) of investment properties were purchased with cash in the fourth quarter of 2021. Today, more than 40 percent of all renters live in single-family homes. In June 2022, Zillow reported that the average national monthly rent surpassed $2,000. 3. Know your audience Successfully marketing to any specific population segment — like real estate investors — requires understanding the audience you are trying to reach. According to industry research by Zippia, the average age of a real estate investor is 40+ years old. That's 71 percent of the population. While most real estate investors are men (68 percent), the number of women real estate investors is growing rapidly, from 26.53 percent in 2015 to 31.5 percent in 2021. Real estate investors are well educated: 89 percent have a college degree, with 73 percent holding a bachelor's or master's degree. In addition, 63 percent have at least five years of experience investing in real estate, and one in three have 11 years or more experience. Have the talk In your conversations with real estate investors, have the presale renovation talk. It works well for real estate investors who want to sell a property and those who are looking to buy a home that just underwent a renovation by a company like Revive. And remember that not all presale renovation firms are equal. Take time to do your research and look at their process and track records. Do they disclose all the financial details of their work product — like this? Do they report their average ROI? The average profits gained? To learn more about presale renovation services and opportunities available in your area, check out Revive at www.revive.realestate. We love talking to real estate professionals about how to unlock inventory and maximize profit! Michael Alladawi, CEO and Founder of Revive, is a Southern California real estate veteran with a proven track record as a builder, investor, and respected home flipper. Michael created Revive to share his spectrum of knowledge and help homeowners maximize their profits when selling their homes. Learn more about Michael and Revive at www.revive.realestate.com.

NFTs in Real Estate: Temporary phase or an enduring fixture?
Are the crypto world and NFTs sunsetting? Or is what's happening simply a reset shaking out the con artists, scams, and the hyperbole that had run amok? If you ask Joe Jesuele, he will tell you it's the latter. And Joe knows crypto and NFTs. Joe is a real estate entrepreneur, a tech innovator, a passionate problem solver, and a remarkably humble leader. Yet, he's purposefully remained an under-the-radar type of guy – until recently. As the Founder and CEO of HomeJab, the leading on-demand professional real estate photography and video marketplace for real estate pros, Joe is one of the foremost experts on visual real estate content. From standard to 3D video home tours, floorplans, aerial footage, virtual staging, and more – he's remained at the forefront of evangelizing the importance of real estate imagery. He was an early real estate video pioneer, and his penchant to innovate manifested most recently in the debut of the first NFT platform for real estate images. Powered by HomeJab, Joe created an innovative alternative to stock photo services. Most importantly, and crypto world enthusiasts will understand this, the platform gives participating professional real estate photographers 96 percent of all sales proceeds – the highest compensation available from a major stock photo platform. People don't realize that the big stock imaging firms only pay photographers pennies in royalties on their images. The NFT marketplace for professional real estate photography images is now at real.art. The next phase of NFTs in real estate Because Joe knows crypto, he can see the forest for the trees. In March, he wrote a blog about real estate photography and the need for NFTs. It's an excellent primer for many real estate pros trying to wrap their heads around this industry. Most recently, he began another NFT-related effort in real estate. HomeJab launched a novel real estate agent marketing method that uses a real estate-backed NFT to promote the sale of a home. Unlike many blockchain efforts, Joe isn't trying to displace real estate agents. On the contrary, his approach keeps agents at the center of the transaction – and enhances the need for outstanding professional real estate photography. He's just creating a new way to reach crypto enthusiasts who want to buy a home with crypto. You can see the first NFT listing at nft.homejab.com. The cream is rising to the top The shakeout in the crypto world has not deterred enthusiasts like Joe. On the contrary, what is happening benefits efforts like the ones Joe is undertaking. That's because the NFT-related innovations he is creating offer practical value. As a pragmatist, Joe is looking for ways that NFTs could be used in real estate to provide real-world benefits. With his latest effort, for example, he is not trying to change the primary path of how real estate is sold. Instead, through the new HomeJab NFT platform, Joe explains that rather than change the legal ownership of the property, the title is still transferred into the buyer's name by a title company, just like a normal transaction. "Purchasing the NFT is like sending in an instant offer," Joe explains. "It doesn't change the title; it gives you an option to purchase." HomeJab sends the funds used for the NFT purchase to a title company, and then the transaction is completed in the usual way – and it also gets recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. Joe says, "I think it makes sense to do both. It's not feasible right now to remove the government entirely from the transaction (considering current security issues we've seen in crypto). But I also think it does not make sense to rely entirely on the government and solely on the traditional way. Our approach is a step toward decentralization: Not an overhaul of the entire system." Joe adds that the overarching goal of HomeJab and its NFT platform was to keep the process similar to how it is now. "We want to add a new way for crypto enthusiasts to use their portfolio to submit quick offers. I think this is the most scalable way to onboard as many real estate professionals and homeowners as possible to the blockchain. Setting up LLCs for each property does not appear to be as practical with large volumes," noting his firm shoots thousands of homes every month. The one thing Joe wants to make crystal clear is the new NFT platform is a service for real estate agents, not a FSBO site. "We're promoting NFTs from the photo shoots we complete for the real estate agents that hire us. Therefore, our service becomes a way for the traditional real estate industry to engage with the crypto community. Anyone who hires us for a photo shoot can get a free NFT listing," he added. Joe sees what he is doing now as a possible bridge to the future. Finally, it's worth taking a minute to review the "How it Works" section at the bottom of nft.homejab.com and the FAQ page. Then you can decide for yourself: Is crypto dead? Or is this a Mark Twain moment, and the reports of its death are greatly exaggerated? Decide where you find yourself on this question, but time will tell. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

How to Use the BRRRR Strategy to Your Advantage
If you're looking for a real estate investing strategy that will help you achieve your goal of financial independence, look no further than the BRRRR strategy. This particular real estate investment strategy is one of the most common methods that property investors use to generate passive income, and to grow their overall net worth. With that in mind, we've created a Guide to the BRRRR investment strategy below. Read it over to learn more about how this strategy works, and how you can use it to your advantage. What is the BRRRR strategy in real estate? Before getting into specific detail about how to make BRRRR investing work in your favor, it's important to take a closer look at how this investment strategy works. In light of that, we've taken the time to break down the step-by-step process below. Here's an explanation of how each component of BRRRR investing works from an investor's perspective. B: Buy The first step in this process is to buy a rental property. In this case, you'll want to focus on buying a distressed property so that you can negotiate a purchase price that falls below the property's fair market value. If you can do that, your initial investment will be lower and you'll have better profit margins when it comes time to rent out your BRRRR property. R: Rehab The next step is to rehab your rental property. Truthfully, since you've focused on buying a distressed property, it may take a little bit of work to make the property rentable. So choosing the right renovations will be key. Instead of trying to increase the property value the same way you would with a fix-and-flip investment property, you should concentrate on providing upgrades that will appeal to tenants—such as providing new appliances, or putting in new hardwood floors. R: Rent Once you've rehabbed, your investment property, the next step is to rent it out. At this point, your goal should be to bring in as much rental income as possible. R: Refinance Then, when possible, it's time to refinance the home. In particular, you're going to want to choose a cash out refinance, which allows you to borrow more than you owe on the home and receive the difference as cash. Ideally, you will also be able to secure a better interest rate on your loan. R: Repeat The last step in this process is to use the money you've received from your cash out refinance to buy another BRRRR property and to rehab it. Ideally, you will continue to use this method to continue to grow your real estate portfolio until you've reached the point of total financial freedom. How to use the BRRRR investment strategy to your advantage Now it's time to get into how to really use this strategy to your advantage. We've included five of our best tips below. So take some time to read them over so that you understand how to apply them to your own real estate investing strategy. Focus on buying below fair market value First and foremost, when you buy a property, it is absolutely crucial to make sure that the purchase price falls below the appraised value. Not only will this make your initial investment more affordable, but it will also ensure that you have more room to work with when it's time to decide how much money to put into repairs. However, above all, buying at a lower price also means that more rental income goes into your pocket each month. Carefully budget your rehab cost Next, it's absolutely crucial that you maintain a strict budget for your rehab cost and make sure to stick to it. At the end of the day, your goal should be to achieve the highest repair value possible without over-improving the property. In order to gauge how much you should spend and what repairs make the most bends, be sure to look at other rentals in the area where the property is located. Make note of which particular features are commanding the highest rents, and be sure to put those on your to-do list. Maintain positive cash flow as you rent Once you've achieved your full repair value, the next step is to rent out the property. Here, your focus should be to maintain a positive cash flow. In order to do so, you'll need to focus on keeping your operating expenses as low as possible, and finding a tenant who is willing and able to pay a decent amount of rent each month. To that end, it may make sense to avoid using a property manager as that will help you keep your costs low. While it may mean more work for you, especially when it comes time to market the property and vet potential tenants, it will be worth it when you can eventually enjoy the extra income. Leverage your equity with a cash out refinance Many real estate investing resources recommend using a hard money loan, or private money loan in order to finance your next investment property. However, hard money often comes at an extremely high interest rate and private money can be hard to find unless you are well connected. With that said, a cash out refinance is a good option for many investors. It allows you to leverage the equity that you felt up in the property, and borrow cash at an affordable interest rate. Best of all, you have the option to use the money however you see fit, which means it can cover the down payment and closing costs for your next investment property. The bottom line As a real estate investor it is easy to dream of achieving financial independence, but that is much harder to put into practice. However, the BRRRR strategy can provide you with a step-by-step formula for growing your real estate portfolio. With that in mind, don't hesitate use the BRRRR method and the tips provided as you get started on your real estate investing journey. Armed with this knowledge, you should have all the information you need to take the first step toward becoming an investment property owner. To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

Wealth Building Strategies for Real Estate Agents
Financial success is a key part of any career. In a Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, "Got Wealth? Use Real Estate For More Than a Paycheck," Dirk Zeller tells listeners how to create this success and build their wealth through real estate. Dirk Zeller is an internationally-acclaimed speaker, best-selling author and CEO of a premier coaching company, Real Estate Champions. During his webinar, Zeller encourages agents to learn how to control their income in an effort to build their own wealth.

Moderne Ventures' Virtual Demo Day
Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM PDT Join us to gain first access to Moderne Ventures' 2020 Passport Companies through a virtual Demo Day from our founders. These companies are recognized for leveraging technology and innovation to provide solutions to leaders in the multi-trillion-dollar industries of real estate, finance, insurance, hospitality and home services. Companies include: Aclaimant Addressable Bend hOM NumberAI Suburban Jungle A Q&A session will follow presentations. Register now!

Top 3 Tips for Agents to Build Wealth through Real Estate Investing
As a real estate agent entering the field, what prompted your interest? Real estate agents enter the business for many reasons--many for the love of working in the industry, while others for the vision of creating lifetime wealth. Looking over a span of 20 years, what I have seen overall are many real estate agents that have built wealth developed it in their everyday business. This article is meant to be an initial step to educate and place you on the path of financial success through real estate. It's about enriching your career and lifetime goals through the buying and selling of real estate.

Working with the Investor Client: 10 Tips for Success
This post comes to us from the Market Leader blog: Many new real estate agents dream of tapping into a network of investors who constantly buy and sell homes, imagining that it will provide an easy route to commissions and repeat business. But when they actually hook an investor client—or think that they have—then, it's often a different story. Here's the deal: The investment property sale is a very different process than a residential sale to an owner-occupant. With owner-occupants, you are selling the dream. You're selling the home-sweet-home, the pitter-patter-of-little-feet, the cinnamon-in-the-kitchen, hearth-and-home fantasy ideal. Tap into that dream and the client's bought it. With investors, it's a whole different ballgame. The successful investor has ice water in his or her veins. You're not selling a dream; you're selling ROI. If the number is there and it beats the investor's hurdle rate, and you get the timing right, then you should have a sale. But hitting that hurdle rate is hard—especially with an agent's full commission thrown in the mix. What's more, lots of people will blow smoke, calling themselves "investors." They will get you to do a ton of unpaid legwork for them, when in reality they're all hat and no cattle. They either don't have the capital to do the deal, or they are looky-loos and tire-kickers, or they're just emotionally unable to pull the trigger on a property, no matter how much financial sense it makes.

Is That Tech Investment Worth It?
Summer is winding down and, for many real estate professionals, this means preparing for budget season. Now that we're well into the third fiscal quarter, you're probably just starting to think about how to best allocate your resources in 2013. Should you set aside money for the rumored iPhone 5, or would finally investing in a CRM make more sense? When considering a new tech purchase, it's easy to be distracted by the "wow" factor of the latest gadgets without thinking about their often high price tag. In order to preserve your bottom line, think of that new phone or software as more than just a toy--it's a tool that can help your business grow! In order to decide if a potential tool is a worthy investment, ask yourself if the benefit gained is greater than the money spent. Does it save you time? Will it streamline your workflow? Is it something that you will use frequently? If it's something that you will only use once or twice, it's probably best to just hold off. If you do decide that a new gadget or software program is a worthy investment, here are a few things to keep in mind in order to maximize its value.