To all  RealtySites PLUS valued clients, and Realtors from across North America,

We are extremely excited to officially launch a brand new Mobile website for ALL of our RealtySites PLUS users.

Your online visitors and clients are going to love the look and functionality of your website on their smart phone, and you are going to appreciate that its fully integrated with your current RSP website.

To get the power of RealtySites PLUS working for you call me at 877.797.8430 and I’ll hook you up with an amazing deal that includes a free mobile website.

Recently in Ontario a complaint was logged with OREA by a home buyer who saw the house they just purchased being advertised as “Just Sold” on a Realtors website. This according to them an invasion of their personal privacy, even though no one could possibly know who the purchaser was by simply seeing a photo of the house with “Just Sold” marked on it. Never the less, this slight ruffling of feathers for one consumer, has caused a major change for Realtors in Ontario, questioning whether or not they can still display their “Just Sold” listings without legal ramifications from paranoid home buyers and OREA.

As the saying goes “There is more than one way to skin a cat” and surely there is a work around solution to inform both buyers and sellers that their property will be displayed at the Realtors discretion as a marketing tool once the home has been sold. One such workaround is to add a clause to the       “Agreement of Purchase and Sale” that both parties must sign.

By incorporating this simple clause:

“Seller & Buyer hereby allow the Listing Brokerage to market the subject property as a sold property after the transaction is closed, and include the information in the company’s sale brochure and/or websites.”

You will eliminate any future ramifications because you were given consent, by both parties.

At RealtySites PLUS , we have had many calls with concerns from our clients who thought they could no longer display their “just sold” listings on their websites, but the simple solution for them, and for you is to get that clause signed and you will have no problems.

For Realtors outside Ontario where this may not apply yet, I recommend that you also have a clause like the one above in your “Agreement of Purchase and Sale” as goodpractice that will keep your clients well informed of your intentions,

Terry LeClair

Broker

Ok I think its time to rant again. I have to tell you as the years pass in this business I get more and more disappointed with our industry. I realize now more then ever that I truly respect my fellow colleagues who have been in this business and persevered through all of the hurdles and changes that have been thrown at them over the last 20-30-40 years. One thing that really makes me shake my head is our industries work ethic.

Some of you “old timers” (I say this very respectfully) will remember the days when you hand wrote offers!! Hand written offers, you’re kidding me! Then along came something called the “SelectType” typewriter now that was technology…every offer and listing hand typed! No word processing, no cut and paste, no data base storage…just elbow grease and good old hard work…Now this is not what has me so ticked off. I am ok with technology helping make things easier and more efficient but where I have a problem is Agents who have a total disregard for Irrevocable dates and times.

For those clients out there who do not know what an “Irrevocable” date and time is, it is the time that the Seller or Buyer has to respond to an offer that has been presented or signed back to them.  So if I present an offer to an agent there is a time that the offer will expire. That offer HAS to be dealt with (either accepted or signed back) by that date and time or the offer becomes null and void. It frustrates me to no end how often recently agents have just ignored Irrevocable dates and  times and have worried more about their personal schedules then their clients best interest.

For you newer agents in the business (less then 7-10 years) we use to always go and present offers to the Sellers and Sellers Agents but due to technology and laziness we fax the offer and let the agent deal with it. Its bad enough we don’t present but when we ignore irrevocable dates and times we are literally putting our clients in legal jeopardy.

Bottom line is this…Clients hold your Agents accountable to meet the Irrevocable dates and times and Agents stop being lazy and/or inconsiderate and make sure you do your best to deal with your offers in the time allotted. The consumer expects us to represent and protect their interests in a professional manner and this is one of the most abused areas of real estate I have seen in the past 16 years.

TLC

I read an interesting blog recently on Inman News about how today’s Realtor is typically older and more experienced than they were a year ago according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors. Albeit the median age is only 56 compared to 54 in 2010, so when you factor in that we’re all a year older than a year ago the stats don’t exactly jump off the page as any great revelation.

What I do find interesting though is that only 12 percent of Realtors are under 40, and half are between the ages of 40 and 59. Obviously with aging and retiring Baby Boomers those percentages are sure to rise significantly over the next five to ten years.

These stats are important to software companies like mine because they can help us more accurately gauge where our particular industry is headed. As the changing of the guard makes the transition from “old school” Realtor, who up until a few years ago wasn’t even using a cell phone, to the younger “tech savvy” Realtor, I think we’ll find tremendous shifts and advancements in the technology we provide, as the demand for innovative products increases.

Now I certainly don’t want to suggest that a Realtor over the age of 50 isn’t innovative or up to speed on Real Estate software products, because a vast number of my clients are in fact in the age group the study reflects upon. I do however find that the older one gets the harder it is to initiate change and more importantly embrace that change.

These are indeed exciting times for my industry, because technology is in high demand and the benchmark is rapidly increasing, so we have to be on our toes to stay above the curve, but so do you! If you don’t heed this warning, you better find a new career path! Embrace change!

My point is; no matter what age you are, change is good if it improves the way you do business and your bottom line. So whether you’re in the 50 plus category or a newby to Real Estate, find the products that will make you work smarter not harder. After all can you imagine life without a cell phone as part of your daily business tool arsenal? If you answered yes than you better consider your website and take a good look at how it’s performing for you. If it’s nothing more than a glorified business card, you’re probably still using a pager! But if it has the ability to communicate, captivate, & cultivate your online buyers and sellers, than you’re guaranteed to close more deals, and I’m sure you also have the latest smart phone strapped to your hip.

We even have a mobile site coming soon!!

Innovation and change can seem so difficult to accept on the surface, yet they’re critical of our success and survival. Think of it as part of the food chain, and then decide where you want to be on that food chain, and you’ll have the answers you need to survive these tough, turbulent times.

So have I got your attention? Don’t stop reading now because this could be one of the most important articles you will ever read as a Realtor or Broker Owner, if you havn’t read about this trend before! So what is it you should be afraid of? What can be so important that you need to take action today? Well… it’s your reputation, your character, your livelihood!

Some of you may have heard a little about the “latest trend” in our business and that is “agent ratings”. Now for some of you this won’t bother you because you know that you do good business and no one would say anything bad about you…well, don’t be so sure. The ability to slander someone anonymously on one of these “rating sites” is quite easy and with no repercussions to the author. Now don’t worry (well, not too much), there is an application out there to help you with online comments, posts, slander or anything that refers to you in anyway. It’s called Google Alerts. The wonderful online world of transparency now has an ally. Google to the rescue…again!

If you have not heard about Google Alerts go check it out. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts. Once there you will see how easy it is to create an alert for names, phrases or products. It only makes good business sense to keep on top of what people out there are saying about you, your service, or your product. It also gives you the ability to rebut or have a post or rating removed that has no merit or justification. Google Alerts is also effective in keeping you updated on the competition and what is being said about them, their services and products!

Don’t stop there. There is another vast online community out there and it’s called “Social Media”! You also need to keep your eyes open and ears to the ground on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. To monitor what people are saying about you go to www.SocialMention.com and create one or numerous alerts. If you want a list of the types of social sites they will scan just click on the “select social media sources” under the main search box on the front page of their website.

So now that you have that covered you will begin to be notified of posts or comments that hit the Internet unbeknown to us, good or bad. It’s all about staying ahead of the game! We all need to reflect on how we treat our clients and perform our duties. It’s much easier to eliminate an issue than mitigate a problem causing you to remove online content that could be detrimental to your personal success, reputation of your company, or industry as a whole.

TLC

There are just a few more days to go before we find ourselves surrounded by friends and family to celebrate the Christmas season. It’s also time to take stock of the year past and gaze into our crystal balls for some insight to the future.

Everyone of course will have their own interpretation of what 2010 meant to them, but for me it was about weathering the storm, and staying the course. Times are tough especially for our clients, because Real Estate has been exceptionally challenging this year. It isn’t all doom and gloom though; one thing I absolutely take delight in is that I can help my clients achieve certain goals. Now I can’t personally take any of the credit for their hard work, but I will tell you that RealtySites PLUS is something they believe in so much because it is helping them achieve the goals they set for themselves at this time last year.

I want to say thank you to all of our loyal clients who have put their faith in RealtySites PLUS. I know the Real Estate market isn’t what it used to be, and that’s exactly why our products help you work smarter not harder.

I am cautiously optimistic about the impending year, but I know we have a lot of work ahead of us, and our clients can be assured that we will be with you through the challenges, so we can all enjoy the good times ahead.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays everyone.

Rob Matton

Director of Sales & Business Development

RealtySites PLUS

Are You The 90% or 10%? You Tell Me

So you think your business model is ok? Your pricing strategies competitive?

Would you agree that when buying a service, you would pay more for quality service and what you feel is a better value for your hard earned dollars? Well if you feel that way, is it not reasonable to think that buyers and sellers have the same regard for Value VS. Price?  Of course they do. In fact a recent study indicates that 90% of buyers and sellers of real estate are more motivated by value when choosing a Realtor where only 10% felt that price was the most important factor in choosing a Realtor. This is paramount news when it comes to your business!

So if this is how the consumer feels about Value VS. Price, why as an industry are we so focused on price? Here’s why: because if value is perceived to be “the same” among all then price becomes the only important factor in the decision making process. Most Realtors cannot provide enough value to differentiate themselves from the over populated Realtor environment. Now before you become affronted and start commenting on this article, understand that I am one of you. I am an active real estate broker/owner and sales person and I know that it is becoming harder and harder to captivate an audience that is tainted by the perception of Realtors and the true value they bring to the table.

One thing I realized very early in my business career is that 10% of people will take up 90% of your time…and not appreciate it. So I have two solutions to this problem. First: fire or don’t deal with the 10% that only are focused on getting the “best price”. Let the Realtors that have little to no value proposition of differentiators deal with them. You on the other hand, can strive towards dealing with the 90% that are enjoyable to work with. These peoples are ones that value you and your time, who will work with you as part of your team to get their home sold or help them find their dream home. The problem here folks is that even though this 90% is great to deal with, they still expect value and if you can provide true value to them, then business will happen for you naturally.

Now I know you may be asking yourselves “how exactly can I create better value and what can I really do to differentiate myself from all the other Realtors out there”? If you’re not asking yourselves those questions then stop reading this now and go and enjoy the 10%…the point being, there is always room for improvement! If you are questioning your business model then I have done my job. I have got you to look at your business and see where you can do better.

One suggestion I will make is that you never stop educating yourself. I recently took part in a Richard Robbins three day event called Achieve 2010. I came away with some great ideas, insights, tips and strategies that I could implement immediately. If accountability is your problem then I would suggest a coach. Yes, coaching can be expensive, but so can having little to no business. We all know this business is expensive to be in so you must maximize your profitability as quickly as you can and if you cannot be self motivated, then a coach is definitely your solution.

If you want to create better value in the eyes of the consumer, it is imperative to spend some time creating a great marketing, advertising and Internet strategy that is not the same as every other Realtor out there. Browse the internet, look at billboards and street ads- don’t you ever get sick of seeing the same old same old? The same messages, the same promises. What are YOUR best qualities? How can you use those qualities to differentiate yourself and what qualities do you possess that you know you can maximize to improve your business? I recently wrote a blog reiterating thought-leader Simon Sineks vision of understanding the importance of your “Why”. WHY do you do what you do? What are your real beliefs about great service and amazing value? What do YOU expect when you are in the role of a consumer? Are your beliefs in sync with your consumers’ beliefs? Again, people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

I can tell you from experience that taking the time to develop great systems, presentations and unique propositions will pay huge dividends in the future. If you believe your strategies are less than par and you can admit to yourself that the road you are on now makes you just “one of many”, stop doing what you’re doing! Step back and look at your business and ask yourself…would I pay more for my own service? What value do I bring to the market?

TLC

So it’s taken me 43 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in print advertising, direct marketing, brand awareness campaigns and now social media to finally realize that I have seemingly had it wrong all these years. For those ‘Type A’ personalities out there like me, you know how hard it is to admit you’re wrong! My staff, employees and agents will snicker while reading this, but I am ready to admit that recently, I’ve “had it all wrong”. However, since learning the real meaning behind this magic little word and how it applies to your business (and personal life!), I have never felt more invigorated or inspired about everything we do as a company and I’m sure the same is now true of my staff.

So what is it that I have been doing wrong for so long? What has got me so inspired that I need to spread the good word to everyone and anyone who will listen? It’s “WHY”. Yes you heard right. It’s the Why. Only three letters but a profound word when it comes to business and more importantly, becoming inspiring in your business.

Some of you know that I am the CEO of both a real estate and software company and despite a successful career as a selling agent, I see now that in my final years of being an active seller, my marketing message was “off”. There was a day when I had no preconceived ideas about what the real estate industry had to offer. I was what most would call a “keener”; an agent with a belief, desire and passion and those feelings allowed me to prosper. However somewhere along the way, that belief in our industry and within myself seemed to slowly fade. As years went on, I would sometimes get lost in doing what was right for me, as opposed to how I was when I first got into the industry where I focused all of my attention on making sure I did the right thing for everyone involved. At the same time, I also developed a misconception of how the consumer viewed me and our profession.  How could a great, hard working agent “lose his touch”?

I see now that it was simple: my mentality and therefore my message became too much about what I do and how I do it and had nothing to do about why I did it. Why did I choose to sell real estate? Why did I choose such a risky business where the risk vs. reward could be enough to scare away the most talented entrepreneur? Why did I have an abundance of passion for this business? The same thing holds true today for my software company as we have embarked in a marketing campaign to promote RealtySites PLUS.

The “why” is the reason we do what we do. “What” we do and “how” we do it should not be in the forefront of our marketing; rather why we do what we do. This may sound overrated or profound but we all need to take a closer look at our messages that we are communicating to our clients, customers or contacts and determine if we are stressing the wrong points.

It’s interesting how we as consumers have been preconditioned to follow the status quo. We tend to market our products and services like everyone else does, and those who don’t are seen as the risk takers. Let me share with you what I feel many of us could improve upon in our businesses and what I did in order to turn the tables around and revitalize that passion that I have for our industry.

The consumer connects with people and (purchase) products that communicate a clear belief of why they do what they do, and if the consumer shares those same beliefs, it’s more likely that there will be an instant connection. Simply put…people do not buy what you do; they buy why you do it. Does a consumer choose a Real Estate professional because he/she sold 100 homes last year? Because he/she owns a Smartphone, IPAD, and uses state of the art technology? Or does a consumer mainly hire you due to a feeling of trust, or “word of mouth” input that you are a very friendly, admirable professional who you can completely rely on?

Here is a common marketing message an agent (ahem, me) might have used to promote his or her service.

“I am a top producing agent who is in the top 5% nationally. I represent buyers who are looking for upscale homes in Toronto (What you do). I carefully examine your needs and wants, and arrange all viewings. I am very detail oriented, so I will provide detailed information, and provide an array of comparables for the properties you want to see” (How you will do it).

In the next example, I incorporated my “Why”:

“I believe in doing the right thing by people. I believe in putting others needs before my own- in my personal life, and in business. I thrive off of others happiness. My satisfaction comes from helping people organize their lives. The real estate industry allows me to experience these joys every single day. I help people find their dream home, and I live my dream while doing it. Together, we will succeed”.

Do you think this message is different? More effective? You can decide but I hope that you feel the second message is a more compelling proposition, and one that even provokes some emotion.

Despite the high’s and low’s, I believe that our industry is one of the most exciting industries to be in today and if we all as professionals can delve deep and discover our “why” and communicate that message to the consumer, we will have a lot more “believers”.

TLC

In a recent study conducted by Intellimon and the University of Bradford, it was revealed that Facebook and Twitter seemed “ineffective” in generating website traffic. That may surprise some of you, but for those of you who have been sceptical over the “social media phenomenon”, you may be saying “I knew it!”

It is estimated that one in every fourteen people in the world actively use Facebook, with just over 500 Million users to date. So considering the popularity and contagiousness of Facebook, how does it really weigh in when it comes to generating traffic to your actual company website? Over 4000 online companies were surveyed in the study. The results may be a little discouraging:

• Although 67% of businesses make use of Facebook to promote their websites, only 29% found the social media platform useful in any way for directing traffic to it.

• Similarity, only 27.7% of Twitter users found that this social media platform had any impact on bouncing potential customers to their company websites.

To be honest, the results (in my opinion) aren’t shocking. There seems to be a great deal of dependence on Facebook and Twitter, as well as other methods of online marketing, to produce customers and generate traffic to your website. With that being said, many of us may be losing sight of what Facebook and Twitter are actually for when it comes to online marketing. The more we gear away from anticipating loads of customers from our implementation of Facebook or Twitter, the less disappointed we will be when we realize that it isn’t that easy.

We have all heard of SEO by now; another phenomenon and world of its own regarding the visibility of your company (or for Realtors, your brand) in search results. But when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, think of it as a unique type of SEO: Social Engagement Optimization. The more we engage our audience, the better the chance that a few might even browse over to our websites! Most importantly, if we shift our focus from what social media can do for us, and consider what our social media platforms can do for our customers, we can begin to produce an environment that our potential customers even want to be in.

Consider the following benefits that Facebook instantly offers (all statistical leads to customers aside):

• If you actively use your Facebook page to provide blogs, news articles, and most importantly, engaging conversation, you start to become a resource for others. For example, I visit a particular Facebook page (and have been for the last year) when I want entertainment news because this person constantly provides new and exciting content. If this person created an actual entertainment news website, would I visit it? Absolutely! She became a trusted source of information, but wasn’t trying to sell me anything.

• The social aspects of your Facebook page create emotional connectivity between you and your audience.

• Referrals and recommendations of your services and/or products are easier (you can reach vast audiences across the world!) and this method of referral is more natural.

• It provides instant branding and awareness of your company.

• Potential customers get to meet “you” and even your employees before meeting the “company”.

Simon Sinek, an inspirational thought leader and author said it best: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. If your audience sees that they share the same common interests as you, the same beliefs as you, or they just genuinely seem to “like” you, what you do isn’t as important anymore. People are more likely to buy your products or services if they trust you, and get a good vibe from you. “What” you do can actually be less engaging; if someone is scoping out your website or product page, chances are they are already looking to buy that particular service and don’t need to be “sold” on it. Facebook is a great platform to show people the real you, what you’re all about, and exactly why you are doing what you are doing.  Having said that, we can appreciate how important it is for us to connect with our audiences on a more personal level and not just sell “what” we do, and how we do it.

Facebook undoubtedly helps you better understand and get to know your audience.  With Facebook, you now have the opportunity to engage your audience in interesting conversation. Ask questions, get advice, and even create polls!  People love talking about themselves and providing input to questions you provide, and it’s refreshing for your audience to see that you are interested in what they think as well. You’ll find your audience will take part in their own conversations based off of one post you provide. Read through your audiences’ responses and their responses to other posts about that topic. Common interests and beliefs begin to emerge the more you engage and connect with your audience. Want to know the best added perk to engaging conversation that creates buzz and receives an abundance of feedback? Facebook has their own algorithm that determines what shows up in its “news feed” . The more responses your posts get, the more likely it is that your status update will be posted in others news feeds. The conversations you create can easily become viral.

Although the results of the Intellimon/University of Bradford study indicated that a multitude of companies aren’t necessarily seeing profound results from their Facebook and Twitter efforts, no one can deny that in this world of social media and online technology, it is essential to implement these to stay ahead of the game. If anything, Facebook connects you to your audience, including prospective customers, and who doesn’t want the opportunity to engage this vital group of people anyway? If Facebook is used and used properly, you can become a trusted, appealing resource, which is worth the extra time spent perfecting your fan page. Time to amp up our Social Media efforts because it definitely isn’t going away!

Jenny Heffernan
Director of Social Marketing
RealtySites Plus

Kids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they’ll have for life AND keep them safe

If you take your kids to a sponsored event, like a safe Halloween thrown by your church or community center, make sure to keep an eye on them at all times. Even though it seems less dangerous, you are still in a strange environment full of people that you don’t know.

A cell phone would be a good idea to give to your child on Halloween night with all important numbers in there !

Below are a few more tips that can help adults keep your kids safe:

Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren’t going with them. Let them know that they are to check in with you every hour, by phone or by stopping back at home. Make sure that they know not to deviate from the planned route so you will always know where they are.

Help them pick out or make a costume that is safe.  Make sure the eye holes are big enough for the little trick or treaters to see out of!

Make sure you set a time that your kids should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time or to call immediately if something happens and they are going to be delayed.

Kids will be kids. Explain to kids of all ages the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem funny but they need to know the other side of the coin as well, that clean up and damages can ruin Halloween for everyone. If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean up the mess they’ve made.

It would be a good idea to make sure they have a healthy dinner before going out.  That way you know that they have a full belly and they won’t be as tempted to eat all the candy!

Have fun, and make a promise to yourself that this year, you’re not going to eat 50% of their delicious chocolate bars, candy, and chips!

Don’t forget, with our Realty Sites Plus website, we have over 200 Banners to choose from with lots of seasonal ones, so check them out and put a fun Hallowe’en Banner up on your site!

Happy Trick or Treating,

Carolyn