Using MLXCHANGE Effectively
Aug 21, 2008 Technology & Productivity
There are a lot of things you can do with the multi-list, however many people fail to recogize just how powerful of an application it can be. Each time they update, they pack tons of new features into it, and if you’re not aware of them or ways to increase your business productivity, taking some time to learn them and even attend an MLS class can be well worth it.
While the multiple listing service you use will vary from area to area and board to board, many rely on mlxchange, which is the one I’m the most familiar with and will give you some pointers on getting the most out of it. Even if you do not use mlxchange, there may be similar features you can try to use or suggest.
Here are Some Features of MLXCHANGE You Should Be Using If You’re Not:
- 1. Client Manager: While the client manager in MLXCHANGE is not as sophisticated as it could be, it does give you some great tools you can use to be more productive as an agent. You can save searches, email new listings to a client and yourself automatically through search preferences. You can also be updated on price reductions, expired listings, and more all through your email. If you’ve been ignoring the client section, take some time to practice with it and play around to see how you can use it to benefit you and your prospecting.
2. Multiple Reports: There are many pre-made reports in MLXCHANGE - client view, email view, full view, etc. If you’re reliant on using just one, take some time and see what other reports are available - they may be more suitable for giving to a customer instead of a client or vice versa. You also have the ability to create your own report and choose what information and photos are displayed if none of the pre-made reports match your criteria.
3. Mapping Services: MLXCHANGE is packed with everything from getting driving directions for planning your route from one house to the next to searching by a radius of a central point. This can really help you save time planning a route, as well as finding suitable areas to show your prospective clients.
4. Sample CMA’s and CMA Manager: When creating a CMA, I always suggest you make it yourself if possible, to help you stand out from the other agents who may have just used the CMA features in the MLS. However, it gives you some great examples and layout ideas, as well as verbiage you can use for explaining DOM and price averages.
5. The Hot Sheet: You should start getting in the habit of checking the hot sheet everyday, or even several times a day. Using the drop down menu and selected areas you work in, you can have information on expireds and price reductions within minutes.
6. Mailing List Capability: In the MLXCHANGE you have the unique ability to search for listings in any area. By going to the results page, you can actually export this data to be used in programs like Microsoft Excel and Word for making mailing labels. You can use this to target people who bought their home 5 years ago or listings that have expired but never re-listed. You can also use it to contact sellers who already have their homes for sale, but be careful you do it in a way that you are not “soliciting listings of others” since that can get you in HUGE trouble and fines.
As you can see, taking the time to learn some of these features can greatly benefit you and maximize your productivity. If you use MLXCHANGE, did you know these features exist? If you use another multiple listing service, what are some of the features you use and find make you more productive?
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In the Box Marketing
Aug 20, 2008 Marketing
If you’re looking for a new idea for mailing to your real estate farm or to other prospects, try thinking inside the box instead of outside of the box.
What I mean is try sending them a REAL box, instead of a regular old envelope or postcard like the hundreds of other agents are in your market. Everyone likes recieving packages and will open it - because they want to see what is inside.
It’s up to you what you put inside the box - it could be a short and sweet letter with your business card, or you can use something from out list of promotional ideas.
It doesn’t really matter what you put inside the box - it’s the box itself that will get attention and get people to open what you mail instead of tossing it in the trash with the rest of the junk mail. It doesn’t have to be a big box either, if you are concerned about postage costs - a small jewelry sized box in many cases will be enough.
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Tags: in the box marketing, real estate mailers, real estate promotional ideas
How to Sell Your First House in Your Real Estate Career
Aug 18, 2008 New Agents
If you’re new to the real estate business, one of the most challenging things to do is sell that first house. Once you have the first one down, several soon will follow. But just selling your first house is something many new real estate agents never do, since it can be exasperating and some people will quit before they even get to that point.
Here’s Some Tips on How to Sell Your First House in Your Real Estate Career:
- 1. Prospect everyday: If you are new to real estate, you don’t have a past client list to fall back on, and you don’t have very many people who even know you are in the business. Make it a point to talk to at least 5 new people everyday. Knock on doors and call anybody you can without violating the do not call laws. Make sure you also have a good SOI (Sphere of Influence List) that consists of anybody and everybody you know - friends, family, neighbors, etc, that you can use.
2. Learn how to Network: Networking with other business professionals can be a great way to get referral business. Join your chamber of commerce or local networking group, or if you can’t find one you like, contact a few business professionals in your area to see if they would be interested in starting a breakfast club that meets once a month to swap marketing strategies and business talk. Follow up with anyone you meet in between networking events through email or a quick phone call.
3. Pick up Floor Time: Many agents hate floor time and will gladly give you theirs. I know one agent when he was new did floor time everyday. While you might have faster results through being proactive instead of reactive, there’s no harm in answering floor time calls 2-3 times a week. I had a floor time call that resulted in a $789,000 sale, so it IS possible to get good leads. When not on floor time, take some time listening to the more experienced agents take calls - you’ll pick up some tactics for converting those calls into appointments.
4. Go FSBO Hunting: FSBO’s are great practice, even if they don’t end up listing with you or selling their home on their own. It gets you in the habit of learning how to talk to people and follow up. It can possibly even lead to a few listing presentations. Talk with your office manager on what the most effective way to approach FSBO’s are in your area.
5. Talk to Your Office Manager: As a new agent, it’s your office manager and support staff’s job to help you be successful. In a lot of cases, they don’t make any money if you don’t make any money, so they should be more than willing to steer you in the right direction.
Starting in real estate does not usually give you instant results. However, if you do these things everyday, you should have clients within a month or two if not sooner. Stay focused, don’t give up, and that elusive first sale will come.
| 2.5 |
Tags: how to get started in real estate, how to get your first sale in real estate, new real estate agent advice
This Week’s Real Estate Round-Up
Aug 15, 2008 Uncategorized
As I mentioned in my post yesterday about What to Write About on Your Real Estate Blog, I genuinely do enjoy going around and reading other real estate blogs, even if they are not for an area I am familiar with.
Today I’ve decided to round up some of the best real estate related blog posts I stumbled across this week:
10 Questions to Ask Your Prospective Home Stager: This article has a lot of great information if you have sellers who could benefit from a home stager.
Revisiting the Emerging Neighborhood: This helpful article has some great information on helping you decide if a neighborhood could be the next “big thing”.
How to Make Your Contract the Best: Michael offers some great tips on ways to make your offer appealing to sellers.
Home Selling During a Divorce: This article offers a lot of good ideas for dealing with sellers that may be struggling with a divorce.
Did you read (or write) a great article about real estate this week? Feel free to share it with me in the comments below!
I’d also like to remind everyone I am still doing FREE REAL ESTATE BLOG REVIEWS, so if you’d like a free real estate blog review for some tips on making your blog better, feel free to share that with me as well!
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What to Write About on Your Real Estate Blog
Aug 13, 2008 Uncategorized
I read a lot of real estate blogs. It’s a fun way to see what’s going on in different markets worldwide. But it seems to me like many agents might not really know what to write about on your real estate blog, since some of them might go months without an update (this looks really bad - if you’re too busy, fine, but don’t have market update reports or a “new listing” from 3 months ago as your last blog post!) So I’ve brainstormed for some ideas and came up with a nice list that should keep you fueled for posts for a long time.
What to Write About on Your Real Estate Blog
1. Local Community Events: Read your local newspaper and see what’s going on around your town. Maybe there’s an art festival or free movies in the park or a food drive. ..It doesn’t matter what the event is, it will make you appear like you are involved in your community. You may even pick up a few regular readers who are not currently looking for a house - but something to do in your town. This is something you can update weekly or monthly.
2. General Real Estate How-To’s: Anything a consumer could find necessary will work - how to choose a home inspector, how to become pre-qualified for a mortgage, how much house they can afford, how to stage a home, how to winterize a property, 7 Mistakes Buyers Make, how to choose a builder…the list goes on and on.
3. Find out What People are Searching For: Go to the Free Keyword Tracker and type in the names of cities, townships, or counties near you. For this example, I typed in “Cape May”, which is a great part of New Jersey. Out pops hundreds of keyword ideas and things people are actively searching for - the Cape May Lighthouse, Cape May NJ Foreclosures, Cape May Hotels, Cape May Bed & Breakfasts, etc. etc. Not only will this make your blog the source for information in your town, but again gets you in front of people who are not currently looking for a house - but could be in a few months to a year.
4. Target Different Niches: Writing for different niches can also help you hone into your readers. Write about the “hip” local scene, the best places to retire, raising horses, townhome life, downtown living, etc. etc. in your area.
5. Cover the Local School Districts: Anyone with children will need to know school district information when moving, and many people without children will still want to be in a good school district for their property values. Cover local board meetings, a calendar of events, sports teams, and other school related activities.
6. Highlight Businesses and organizations: Your town is probably filled with various businesses and organizations - write about the library, the fire department, the grocery stores, the dry cleaner, the chamber of commerce, etc. etc. Make sure anytime you do a featured business spotlight you email a link to the company.
7. Restaurant Reviews: Everybody likes to eat (or at least needs to!) so next time you go out somewhere, write about it. Talk about their menu items, the atmosphere, the affordability. Be sure you keep your review positive - bashing the place that didn’t refill your coffee won’t get you too far.
8. Get Involved With the Sports Teams: Where I live, you live and breathe football from September to January. It’s really the only thing anybody cares about during this time of the year. Write once a week about how the team did in their games, player news, their houses, etc. etc.
9. Talk About Decor: While you’re a real estate agent, and not an interior designer, there’s no harm in writing things like “10 Fresh Ways to Update Your Kitchen” or “How to Remove Wall Paper Without Banging Your Head Against the Wall”. You could also write about furniture placement, improvements that increase the value of a home, choosing laminate versus hardwood, etc. etc.
10. If All Else Fails, Enlist a Guest Poster: Is there anybody locally around you with a blog or website? If so, (and if they can write in a professional, entertaining manner), why not invite them to guest post? Let them write about their topic of expertise - whether it be pets by the local vet or an accountant with tax advice - having guest posts can be a great way to make your blog more interesting.
Hopefully these 10 ideas for what to write about on your real estate blog will give you a little inspiration on ways to interact with your readers, appeal to a broader base of people in your area, and even increase your traffic and RSS subscribers.
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