What are today’s new homebuyers looking for? A multitude of factors influence the designs, features and materials consumers want. Here are eight trends agents should watch out for and be ready to sell in 2016. According to the American

We surveyed local agents to learn what they think about MRED: what they like, what they dislike, and what features they think the system is missing. Here is a sampling of the anonymous responses: And here are some thoughts

What are agents allowed to say in their listing descriptions? There actually are no specific rules dictating what a real estate agent can and can’t include in an MLS listing, for the simple reason that there doesn’t need to

1. Greet the client and develop rapport – Help the client get comfortable with you. Build trust through authentic interactions. 2. Ask qualifying questions – Ask about what the client is looking for, their financial situation, buying motivation, and timeframe. 3.

The rolodex and three-martini lunch may be things of the past, but there are plenty of tried and true sales tactics that many agents still use today in some form. Which are still alive in 2016? Cold calling Habits

Below are just a few of the questions agents need to ask to assess potential clients’ current situation, motivation, and timeline. How long have you been looking for a new home? How soon do you hope to move? Have

In the real estate business, agents have to strike a balance between engaging clients on a personal level and employing the sales tactics that will get a home sold. We asked Brian Rayl, a Realtor with Keller Williams who

Boosting credibility with designations and certifications can certainly impress clients. But how much do those designations, which require investments of agents’ time and money, really impact their business? Do more designations translate into more income? We took a survey

Over the course of their real estate career, agents will work with many real estate professionals. Some will know what they are doing…and others may not. Encountering low-quality agents is a frustrating experience, but one that any agent can

Rookie agents have a lot to learn during their first years in the business. Jessica Jakubowski, an associate broker at Baird & Warner, and Josh Lipton, a Realtor with Jameson Sotheby’s International, know how to handle it better than

For an experienced perspective on common rookie mistakes, we turned to Mike McCatty, a broker with Century 21. McCatty has closed more than 1,300 transactions totaling a half billion in sales since 1999, and was named “Office Broker of

We pulled the numbers of likes, followers and shares directly from each brokerage’s social media pages during the week of May 9. Brokerages are listed in descending

We ran the numbers on national real estate brands and local brokerages to see which websites led in website visitors and visitor engagement. We pulled data from Alexa.com during the week of May 9. Average time on site is

Agents know that being found online is crucial for their business. David Conroy, an R&D engineer for CRT Labs at the National Association of Realtors’ headquarters, has some best practices for SEO implementation on agent websites. “Real Estate is

In our Agent Insider survey earlier this year, we asked agents which real estate apps they use. Though the MLS was the clear favorite (62 percent of respondents said they used it), 46 percent told us that they use

Here’s what the market looked like in 1980, when many of today’s older agents were first navigating their real estate careers, versus the market today’s real estate rookies enter into in