Work Smarter AND Harder: Time Management Techniques for Real Estate Professionals
Having strong time management, especially in the endlessly fast pace of the real estate industry, is a crucial skill to master. It's what helps you know where to focus your efforts, prioritize your tasks effectively, and gives you the free time you need to do what you do best: serving your clients. Prioritizing Tasks and Setting Realistic Goals Believe it or not, no matter how swamped, overwhelmed, or hectic your schedule is, effective time management is within reach. As the old saying goes, you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time. To have effective time management, you have to start small with your goals. First, ask yourself what you want to accomplish in the 24 hours you're currently in. You can also zoom out a bit more and ask what you want to accomplish in the week. Once you have an idea of what you want — and need — to accomplish, grab a pen and paper or open up your favorite note-taking app. Jot every task down that comes to mind. After you complete this brain dump, it might look a little overwhelming when it's all down on paper. But this is the purpose of the exercise: it's setting the stage for you to use actual time management techniques. Now that you have a bird's eye view of your day or week, you can prioritize your task list based on urgency, less important tasks, and what can be reprioritized to a later date so you're more freed up in the present moment. By grouping your tasks and ordering them from most urgent to least urgent, you can quickly get a grasp on where you should focus your time first. Start with completing tasks labeled as most urgent, then assign a timeframe for completion to each of the tasks as you go down your list. Implementing Time-Blocking and Batching Techniques The timeframe you assign to complete each task is critical to actually achieve effective time management. To make this even easier, you can implement time-blocking and batching techniques. With time-blocking, you set aside dedicated time for each and every task on your list in order of importance and urgency. You can put this in action by blocking out chunks of time on your work calendar, so you won't be disrupted by meetings and have designated, heads-down focus time. For batching, you'll group tasks together by their similarity. This is a good technique to use after you've completed the more urgent, time-sensitive tasks. Let's say the bottom half of your task list has things like replying to emails, updating your social media profiles, and reviewing some reporting. Because these are more digital-oriented, where you'll be spending time in front of the computer, you can group them together and dedicate a block of time to knock these similar tasks out. As a bonus, if you find yourself having a hard time getting your tasks completed, you can use another time management tactic known as the Pomodoro technique. With this technique, you spend 25 minutes focused on work, then take a five-minute break. Once your break is up, you repeat the 25 minutes of focus, then another five-minute break. This is a great technique to pull out of your back pocket if you're struggling to focus (which is totally natural), or if you have more simple, straightforward tasks you can quickly tackle. Tools and Apps to Streamline Workflows and Increase Productivity Having solid time management skills is key to maximizing each hour you have in your day. It's also the key to unlocking the ability to work smarter, not harder. Thankfully, nowadays we have a vast variety of digital tools, apps, and software to streamline current workflows and give productivity a boost, all while saving even more time than ever. While browsing, researching, and shopping around for the right tools is common as a real estate professional, you can make your time management even easier by investing in a single, centralized solution that does it all for you. Doing so can help you get more free hours to get back to doing what you love most. By taking the time management techniques we've recommended and partnering them with smart, intuitive tools designed specifically for real estate professionals, you can get countless hours back in your day, work smarter and not harder, and have the peace of mind your business is keeping up with the market. To view the original article, visit the Inside Real Estate blog.

Unlock Market Obstacles: 10 Blueprints for Success
The business of residential real estate isn't always smooth sailing. Obstacles, barriers and red tape must constantly be navigated and worked around. Luckily, REALTORS® have RPR (Realtors Property Resource) at their disposal. Here are 10 strategies for using RPR, a powerful, data-focused platform that can help real estate agents relieve pain points and achieve success in their business. 1. The Crystal Ball Spot opportunities before the competition. RPR's historical market data isn't just numbers; it's a roadmap. Analyze median home price trends, compare neighborhoods, and advise your investor clients on the best areas for potential growth before the competition catches on. 2. Negotiation Ninja Price with precision. A seller insists their home is worth more than the comps suggest. You dive into RPR, value recent upgrades, local market dynamics, and even school district changes the seller wasn't aware of. You build a rock-solid CMA that gets them top dollar. 3.The Matchmaker Extraordinaire Off-market magic. Your buyer has a unicorn wishlist: acreage, a view, yet budget-friendly. RPR becomes your treasure map. You filter properties by size, location, and owner history—finding the motivated out-of-town owner who's never listed their hidden gem. 4. X-Ray Vision Protect your clients with local insights. Even a perfect-looking home can still have hidden surprises. RPR reveals property history, lot line changes, neighborhood development, and more. You spot potential red flags, advise your buyer on the need for expert inspections, and protect their investment. Their trust in you grows stronger. 5. Outsmart the Clock Impress on the go. Out and about but need to prep for a showing? RPR's mobile app is your savior. You pull up neighborhood comps, school ratings, the works. You walk in not just prepared but armed with insights that blow the clients away. 6. The Closer Seal deals with confidence. Hesitant buyers get cold feet. RPR's visually stunning reports become your secret weapon. Market Trends, property valuations, neighborhood highlights… it's the compelling evidence that turns "maybe" into "let's do this!" 7. Hyper-Local Market Guru Build your personal brand. RPR's data isn't just for clients. Craft neighborhood infographics, share market insights on social media, and host a local market trends webinar. Become the go-to expert in your farm area. 8. The Efficiency Ace Maximize your time with RPR's centralized data. RPR centralizes property information, market history, and neighborhood insights. Quickly generate stunning reports, access data on the go with the mobile app, and keep your finger on the pulse of your market. More time for client relationships and less time for data entry. 9. The Lifelong Learner Up your game. RPR doesn't just provide the data — it helps you understand it. Market Trends webinars, data-driven strategies, those 'aha!' moments elevate your expertise, benefiting every client. 10. Community Insider Unlock the best fit. RPR arms you with hard data on schools, local points of interest, property history and the pulse of the market. But it's your on-the-ground knowledge — the buzz about upcoming developments, the vibe of different streets, that transforms data into understanding. You guide clients towards the right neighborhood for them, where they'll feel a sense of belonging. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog. Related reading 50 Ways to Use RPR in Your Real Estate Business How RPR Can Enhance Your Real Estate Marketing Strategy Stand Out in the Crowd: Personalize Your RPR Reports with Custom Pages

CFPB Finds Americans are Paying Upfront Fees Seeking to Lower Interest Rates on Mortgages
"Discount points" have uncertain value for borrowers WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a new report today finding that more borrowers paid "discount points" upfront as overall interest rates rose. The percentage of homebuyers paying discount points roughly doubled from 2021 to 2023. The increase was even greater among borrowers with lower credit scores. While discount points may provide advantages to some borrowers, the financial tradeoffs are complex. The CFPB is monitoring these increases and potential risks to consumers. "Higher interest rates on mortgages have led borrowers to pay upfront fees to lower their interest payments," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. "The heavy use of 'discount points' suggests that many borrowers are uncertain about their ability to refinance in the future." Discount points are a one-time fee paid at closing to a lender in exchange for a lower interest rate. Paying one discount point is the equivalent of paying a fee of one percent of the loan amount, but discount points have no fixed value in terms of the change in interest rate. Most borrowers only benefit from discount points if they keep their mortgage long enough that the cumulative monthly savings from the reduced interest rate outweigh the upfront costs. The report published today used quarterly Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data from 2019 through the first three quarters of 2023. The report found that borrowers with lower credit scores were more likely to pay discount points, and that discount points were especially prevalent among Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers with low credit scores. This indicates that lenders may be using discount points to lower borrowers' monthly payments and debt-to-income ratio, which is one of the measurements lenders use to assess a borrower's ability to repay in order to qualify for a mortgage. Nearly 77 percent of FHA borrowers with credit scores below 640 purchased discount points, while 65 percent of all FHA borrowers paid discount points. Discount points were most common among borrowers with cash-out refinances, with 87 percent of those borrowers in September 2023 paying discount points, up from 61 percent in January 2021. Nearly 61 percent of borrowers with home purchase loans and 58 percent of borrowers with non-cash-out refinance loans also paid discount points in September 2023, up from 31 and 36 percent in 2021, respectively. Borrowers with cash-out refinances also paid a greater number of discount points. The median amount of discount points in the 2023 quarterly data was 2.1 points for cash-out refinance loans, 1.1 points for non-cash-out refinances, and 1.0 point for home purchase loans. HMDA data are the most comprehensive source of publicly available information on the U.S. mortgage market. In addition to submitting annual application-level data, the largest mortgage lenders must submit quarterly HMDA data to their regulators. Aggregate statistics from the quarterly data are publicly available in the HMDA quarterly graphs. Read the report, Trends in Discount Points amid Rising Interest Rates. The CFPB has resources for mortgages, including answers to common questions about discount points. Consumers can submit complaints about mortgages, and about other financial products and services, by visiting the CFPB's website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372). Employees of companies who they believe their company has violated federal consumer financial laws are encouraged to send information about what they know to [email protected]. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that implements and enforces Federal consumer financial law and ensures that markets for consumer financial products are fair, transparent, and competitive. For more information, visit www.consumerfinance.gov.