My Request… from Jessica Fox

At Keller Williams Madison West Tuesday’s Team Meeting, Jessica Fox asked you to…

RE-ENGAGE your business

RE-EDUCATE where you have weaknesses

RE-EXCITE yourself with real estate

…so that your real estate business would provide you the RESULTS you need through first quarter 2010. You have survived while so many others have given up. You have come too far to quit or ease up now. Madison’s real estate market is at a tipping point. The opportunity for you to get your ‘unfair share’ of the sales and market is now here.

 

I wish I had the ability to give you the sense of urgency that I feel about your real estate business. You cannot afford to wait any longer and you will likely never get an opportunity like this again. Because of that, I am providing you several ideas for you to implement. I would like you to commit to one in every category. I am here to help you. If you need support, training or want some coaching – please call on me.

 

RE-ENGAGE your business

1. Connect with your sphere. Preferably through a phone call, event or face-to-face visit. If you can’t do that, email, facebook or blog them at a very minimum. Reconnect and share update on the real estate market. I regularly am sending useful talking or sharing points via the Daily Email. If you need content, ask and you shall receive.
   
2. Add everyone in your database to your facebook so that you can re-connect and keep up to speed with their lives. I used the free Microsoft outlook add-on called www.xobni.com Whenever I get an email from someone, I know if I have them on facebook and linked in. If they aren’t, I can add them on the spot.
   
3. Send wolfnet hyper links to your database of their neighborhood / area so they can track their local market. I teach this regularly and would be happy to add in more of these classes if the interest / need exists.
   
4. Do a complimentary CMA for your top supporters as a courtesy so they are aware how this real estate market has impacted them. And don’t forget to ask them to support you. You can use your Tool Kit CMA to do this quickly with a personally branded look and feel.
   
5. Plan a party and invite everyone in your sphere. Let them know you are still in real estate and thankful of any leads.
   
6. …I have a ton more ideas so if you are ‘stuck’, call me. 608-662-9626.
   

 

RE-EDUCATE where you have weaknesses

 

1. Do you have strong sales / consulting skills? We are bringing the Language of Sales and offering coaching for anyone that needs to work on this.
   
2. Are you great at converting today’s buyers, internet leads, open house guests, etc? I think it is time to work on conversion skills and follow up plans so that you don’t waste the leads you have coming in.
   
3. Speaking of leads… are you getting any from the internet? If you don’t have an online lead generation plan, you are missing opportunity!
   
4. Do the words Short Sales, Foreclosures, BPO, REP, RLO make your eyes cross? Take classes on any niche that you want to understand. Classes are offered in classroom and online at http://www.kwconnect.com We have several offerings coming to you in the last quarter to bring you up to speed on the market of the moment.
   
5. Do you know what lenders limitations are? Know so you can make your next transaction easier. We cover mortgage and title in every one of our Tuesday team meetings. If you would prefer to sit down with a lender contact Kathy
   Jasper or Dave Grauwels to set up an appointment.
   
6. Keller Williams brings you the most cutting edge business tools. Do you know how to use them? Our classes are going to be longer so we can actually create a finished product per topic which include virtual tour, listing presentation w/ CMA, buyer tour book and much more.
   
7. I am creating 2 minute tech tips to save you time on the lil’ stuff. You can find these by visiting http://thrivingagent.wordpress.com I am taking requests!
   

 

RE-EXCITE yourself with real estate

1. It has been a difficult past two+ years. It’s time you fall in love with real estate again. Is there a niche or expertise you would like to master right now? Is there a business practice that you want to take on (blogging)?
   
2. What are your two favorite ways to develop business? Consider sitting down with Jessica Fox to brainstorm unique ways you could master those two things.
   
3. MUST ATTEND: HOW TO THRIVE IN THE TOUGHEST MARKET EVER on 10/22 from 9-1 at Candlewood Suites on Caddis Bend in Fitchburg. Darren has requested that ever agent attends this event.
   
4. SHOULD ATTEND: Waterstone Speaker: How to Build Your Best Year Ever on 10/15. RSVP is required.
   
5. Show up… The mojo at any of the trainings or events will get you going. This month there are over 20 trainings offered, a social, a Halloween costume party and chili cook off. To name a few of the things going on. Park your butt in a cube, desk or mobile space and get inspired by those around you.
   
6. I also made the request at the team meeting that you bring me some FUN! J
   

 

I care about you and your business. So, will you say YES to my request? Your commitments can be made in the comment section. I am sure they will inspire others so share what you are committed to do. You deserve your unfair share and the time to get it is NOW!

 

Do You Fit This Profile? NAR: Realtor Profile 2008

The National Association of Realtors recently published the 2009 Member Profile. In this 84 page document, NAR profiled what the typical agent profile is, what success they are having and what business activities they are committed to. Following are some of the highlights I wanted to pass along to you:

So how does your real estate business compare to the average?

How are you different? How are you exceeding the norm?

When you look ahead to 2010, what are your goals? Do you have a specific income or number of transactions in mind? Are you planning on developing a team or adding in a new skill set? Do you need any training to achieve these goals? What is stopping you from achieving your goals? Would coaching with Chariti Gent, Jessica Fox or Darren Kittleson make a difference to your results?

The reason I am asking is because this is the time of year to reevaluate what did and didn’t work for you. It is also time to put a business plan in place for the year ahead. Jessica Fox will be offering a Business Planning Clinic on Thursday, October 29^th from 1 – 4 PM in the Madison West Training Center. If you would like to be a part of this clinic, please RSVP to Jessica Fox so that you can be sent your planning materials. By the end of this clinic, you will have a clear plan of what you need to accomplish to make 2010 your best year in real estate ever!

2 Minute Tech Tip: How to Post A Specific URL From MLSFinder.com to Craigs List

Craig’s List has become a much more effective marketing tool than the Wisconsin State Journal. Agents are getting the attention of more buyers by using Madison’s Craig’s List linked directly to their Keller Williams Agent Website “Back Office” known as MLSFinder.com. MLSFinder.com is your Wolfnet MLS search tool that is included in our $35 per month fee.

However… many of our Agents don’t use this to it’s fullest extent. Because of that, I have created this quick 2 minute tech tip to show you how:

Using Craig’s List with MLSFinder.com and Bit.ly!

2 Minute Tech Tip – Pulling Foreclosure Listings From Wolfnet

Foreclosures are a hot topic these days. Many buyers want to search foreclosures because they are looking for a “deal”. So, I strongly encourage you to offer direct links to capture buyers looking for this information. You can pull a direct feed of foreclosure listings from wolfnet – mlsfinder.com Click on 2 Minute Tech Tip to see how~

HOW TO PULL FORECLOSURE LISTINGS AS A LINK USING YOUR WOLFNET – Mlsfinder.com

You will need to update this link from time to time as these listings sell, however this is a great link for you to use in your database touches, craigs list ads, website, email signature and much more!

If you would like to learn how to use MLS Finder, please come to one of our many classes covering that. Contact Carrie Amacher at carrieamacher@kw.com for the next class.

2 Minute Tech Tip – http://mykw.kw.com

S-I-M-P-L-I-F-Y!

Keller Williams Realty has developed a single website for “all things Keller Williams”.

*All Online Training Offered at KWConnect.com by KWUniversity
*Central Location for Referrals & Preferred Vendors Offering Discounts
*Website Administration (even though you don’t have to make changes)
*Wolfnet Lead Capture System
*Greensheet Entry
*Webmail, office calendar… and much more!

To get a quick tour click on the short 2 minute tech tips below.
Please provide me feedback on what you think and what you would like improved.

Web Address: http://mykw.kw.com
Use your kw.com log in. If you don’t know what this is, please see Susan Katzenmeyer

2 MINUTE TECH TIP #1: Loggin In

2 MINUTE TECH TIP #2: Home Page

2 MINUTE TECH TIP #3: TECHNOLOGY ADVANTES — Jess’s favorite part!

If you want training, support or assistance on this, please ask. We are here for you and don’t want you to waste time if you need help. Contact Jessica Fox for a personal tour of your http://mykw.kw.com. It will be a great resource and time saver for you! I promise.

Keller Williams Dominates Top 500 Power Brokers

NAR: How Buyers Find Their Realtor

What IS Selling In Madison

Here is a detailed report of the Madison are real estate that sold in July 2009. This data is provided by the South Central Wisconsin MLS.

This chart separates price / bedroom count for single family homes & condos.

First time home buyers taking advantage of the $8,000 tax credit are driving the $120,000 – $160,000 price points; while move up buyers are driving the $180,000 – $250,000 price points. This is great news for any sellers in either of these price points.

Price points that have little to no activity still remain to be the luxury properties. Virtually no properties sold over $750,000 in July, which is typically a vigorous month for Madison real estate sales.

Condominium sales continue to lag compared to number of single family properties selling and current condo listings on the market. A lack of financing is partly at fault for this. If a condo project does not have FHA approved condo documents (very common), financing can be a challenge. I strongly recommend that you seek the advice a very experienced lender when buying a condo. In fact, you will want to meet with at least two lenders so that you have a back up if your primary lender cannot put financing together. This is becoming quite common.

 

If we switch gears and evaluate the current listings available (supply), the market snapshot would look like this:

We know the “hot price points” in the market are $120,000 – $250,000 by evaluating the sold activity for the month of July. While the “cold price points” are $400,000 – Luxury. Knowing this, you can calculate the absorption rate for any particular price point.

The absorption rate establishes the length of time it would take for a home to sell based on current inventory vs. rate of sales. In Madison, that averages to be about 9 months. However, in a few of the “cold price points” there is as much as 60+ months of inventory.

CLICK HERE to view our current listings by price point or location!

Under $80,000                 Cottage Grove                    

$80,000 – $100,000             Cross Plains                        

$100,000 – $150,000           Deforest                               

$150,000 – $200,000           Fitchburg                             

$200,000 – $250,000           McFarland                          

$250,000 – $300,000           Middleton                           

$300,000 – $400,000           Monona                              

$400,000 – $500,000           Mount Horeb                      

$500,000 – $750,000           Oregon                                  

Luxury Homes                   Stoughton  

                                            Sun Prairie 

                            Verona

                            Waunakee

 

 

HOT WEST SIDE NEIGHBORHOODS (08/09)

Is your neighborhood hot, or not?

Believe it or not… there are a handful of very active neighborhoods on Madison’s West side. This should be music to your ears if your neighborhood is one of them. Above is the “geo code” map that Madison Realtors use when searching for and researching local real estate markets. Surprising to many is that there are several neighborhoods / areas that are selling fast. In fact, there are areas where Madison Realtors are running out of homes to sell. The lucky home seller’s in these areas are often receiving multiple offers at list price.

So what is hot… and what is not? For single family homes the current hot spots are :

W11

W13

W18

If you know of anyone that is considering selling, share this information. They can CLICK HERE to get a feel for the price they can expect to sell their home for.

So, what about condos?

Well condo home owners are in a very difficult spot because there are so many other properties to compete with. Location. In fact, there are currently 899 condos for sale on Madison’s West Side.

Moving Your Business To Keller Williams Realty – Madison West

Many Realtors are overwhelmed with the idea of moving their real estate business to another firm.

Top concerns Realtors have:

*Fear that their business will be disrupted or stalled

*Concern that their clients and customers will be stressed

*The hassle

*The unknown…

We understand! We don’t want any of the above to happen either and have a seamless transition plan to guarantee that it doesn’t!

We are committed to take care of you and all of your needs. We have a well rehearsed and organized plan in place. Our transition team is experienced and ready to handle any of your requests. There is very little work that you will need to do. Our commitment is to provide you a great experience that will have a positive impact on your business.

Jessica Fox will meet with you one-on-one to rehearse your move in advance in case you have any special requests or needs. Jessica has successfully transitioned 100s of Realtors in the past five years and can handle anything that comes her way!

Here is a glimpse at a sample transition list with definition of who handles this for you and the time involved:

*Paperwork completed by Director of Agent Services in about 1 hour. Once complete, you are legal to practice as a Keller Williams Agent.

*Listings (Transfers) redrafted either by Listing Agent or staff as assigned.

*Listings boarded to MLS completed by front desk within one hour of being received. Your listings will also appear on your KW Agent website and all other KW syndicated websites for lead capture automatically.

*Office Set Up completed by Director of Agent Services in about 2 hours and includes:

    Office tour with explanation of office procedures (turning in listings, accepted offers, etc.)

    Set up your computer to wireless, printers, telephone, voicemail etc.

    Choice of your new office space to call home

    Training on office equipment (copier, fax, scanner, computers, etc.)

    Download of KW Zipforms, office checklists and presentation materials you will need such as a listing presentation and buyer book.

*Agent Website Set
Up by Director of Agent Services after a brief consultation with Jessica Fox. Customers will be able to search the entire MLS, request a CMA, the ability to view your featured listings and much more. Moving forward, all of your new listings will automatically appear on your Agent website. This is done the same day you move your license and requires very little of your time.

*Behind the scenes - Our transition team creates temporary business cards to your liking, sets up your website, creates an office mailbox, adds you to all of our distribution lists, and much more!

*Ordering by Realtor with the support of Jessica Fox and Director of Agent Services. Signage takes up to 10 business days and should be planned ahead if possible if you have listings you will want to transfer over.

*As you have time you will meet with Jessica Fox to discuss your business and create a plan of action and support. She will also have staff meet with you to teach you how to use all the tools and resources we have that you may be interested in. We offer continual free training on all of our resources and also cover these in a monthly orientation.

So, when are you moving over?