Improving Your Business

Stories, articles and advice aimed at improving your business

The 7 Key Traits About the Homes Consumers Bought in 2013

What were the most important features to homebuyers in 2013? What features of the home, and the greater area, were most valuable to them? There are many types of property available to today’s homebuyers, but as any savvy agents

Fear of the Unknown – Working with VA Loans

VA loans can be an excellent way for veterans to become homeowners, but how can agents make sure they understand the program? Anna Mayer-Huls explains. We owe a lot to our veterans. They give up their time, families, and

3 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Creativity

As a real estate agent, how do you rejuvenate your creativity? How do you approach your problems in a consistently dynamic, innovative way? When you’re a real estate agent, creativity is paramount. From marketing, to negotiation, to keeping in

The 5 Most Important Characteristics of Today’s Homebuyers

NAR’s 2013 Home Buyers and Seller Generational Trends report is massive, and among its many findings are great insights into homebuyer characteristics. The National Association of Realtors publishes many reports on real estate and the many individuals involved in

5 Great Places to Network

The easy answer to “Where do you network” is “Everywhere,” but clearly, some places are better for networking than others, especially the five we suggest. All top producers succeed in unique ways, but if there’s any attribute they share,

5 Ways to Maintain Client Relationships While Growing Your Business

You’ve launched your business and you’re well past the early stages, but now you’re starting to grow and growing pains are tough. In the pursuit of growth, many businesses and independent professionals focus an exorbitant amount of energy on

How to Double Your Buyer Agents’ Sales

Char MacCallum of Olathe, Kan., found herself in the same boat as many other brokers: with buyer agents who just weren’t getting the job done. The numbers proved it – they were only contributing 15 percent to her total

What are the Preferences of the Most Active Foreign Homebuyers?

Homebuyers from Canada, China, Mexico, India and the UK make up 53 percent of all foreign home purchases in the U.S. What do they look for in homes? Foreign homebuyers accounted for $68.2 billion in home purchases from March

How Rising Mortgage Rates are Affecting Prospective Homebuyers

Mortgage rates are at their highest levels in years, but how are they impacting the decisions of potential homebuyers? A new Trulia survey explains. Well, it was fun while it lasted! After falling for a sustained, seemingly endless length

5 Tips for the Greatest Listing Presentation of Your Life

Okay, our headline might be an exaggeration, but really, listing presentations are your introduction to potential new clients, and we’ve got five tips for one that makes an impression. When it comes to recruiting new clients for your real

Should You Be Doing Short Sales?

Short sales are all the rage right now, but should you make them a part of your business? Joseph C. Alfe provides an overview of the short sale biz. Well, it’s been awhile since my last post and it’s

The Biggest Challenge Facing Brokerages? Agents’ Age

Real estate brokerages face plenty of challenges, but according to a new survey, the increasing age of real estate agents comes out on top. It was just two months ago that the National Association of Realtors reported that only

The Top 10 Chicago Suburbs Searching for Real Estate Agents

Demand for real estate services varies wildly across Chicagoland, but Alyssa Mattero shares what 10 suburbs need agents the most. People search for real estate companies and agents based on the Chicago suburb they want to live in. Out

Show Off Your Homes’ Potential with Zillow Digs

In his latest featured blog, Mitch Levinson of Marketing RELEVANCE writes about how agents can use Zillow Digs to promote their listings. “Digs,” a well-known slang term referring to someone’s home, has appropriately been adopted by Zillow, a leading

5 Great Ways to be a Memorable Agent

As a real estate agent, how do you ensure that your clients remember you and keep you in mind for their next purchase? We have five great suggestions. Memory is an important component to a successful real estate career,

Move’s FIND Application Goes Live For MRED

Chicago’s MRED MLS members now have access to more robust listings data with Move’s FIND application. Move’s FIND Application, a tool that allows MLSs to provide members with quick and easy access to Multiple Listing Services data, is now

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