Real Estate Best Practices

Coaches, books, classes and seminars aim to capture real estate agents dollars with promises to teach them any number of ways to improve their business. From sales skills to how to close more deals to how to win with expireds (expired listings) and more, everyone has something to teach you.


There's nothing wrong with continuing education, whether it's keeping on top of new laws and regulations or learning how to be more productive. But before you spend an arm and a leg on any of those things, pull up a chair, put on your glasses and peruse the pages in this section of ActiveRain.


It is only here that you can tap into the world's largest online real estate community and actively engage with your peers. Find out what works and what doesn't from those that actually put into practice what others merely teach. Read how-to articles, advice on designations, certifications and continuing education classes. You never know where you will find the inspiration to take your business to the next level. So, pull up a chair and dig in!

Recent blogs on Real Estate Best Practices
By Denise Lones, CSP, MIRM, CDEI - Real Estate Coaching & Branding
(The Lones Group, Inc.)
Don't Just Make a Plan, Make an Action Plan for 2023 The internet is full of business planning templates that will allow you to make lofty goals. But, without a path that will lead you to achieve what you envision, it just isn't worth your time to do a business plan. Without the path, a business plan is just a list of dreams! Simply put, the path is the most important part. Without it, you really have no way of knowing if your goal is achievable - let alone how to achieve it. Your path, the one what will take you towards successfully reaching your goals, is a path that includes clear tasks and a timeline. Your path is your action plan. For example, imagine you injure your knee and have to go to a physical therapist. The therapist won't just do a consultation with you and then send you ...
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By Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS, South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!
(Fathom Realty Washington LLC)
Real Estate 101 12/1/2022 (Quotes to help & motivate you!)When you encourage others, you in the process are encouraged because you're making a commitment and difference in that person's life. Encouragement really does make a difference!Attributed to Zig ZiglarThank you for reading and commenting on my blog post! This post was researched, authored, and photo by Paul Henderson, REALTOR®, ©2008-2022, all rights reserved. All information is deemed reliable; however it should be independently verified by the reader. Any reproduction of this blog post is prohibited without the prior written permission of the author...
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By Dawn Castell, Freelance home stager
(Freelancer)
Achieving success in the real estate industry is difficult for many reasons, but staying organized and motivated are two of the most tricky to maintain. After all, this industry requires you to be on call practically 24/7! The good news is that there are a few things you can do to stay organized and motivated as a realtor. Below, we've compiled five ways to stay on top of your game and conquer the real estate market. Develop multiple income streamsAny successful entrepreneur will first tell you to develop multiple income streams as early as possible. This is a common theme throughout many businesses. As a realtor, it's critical to have multiple income streams. This way, you're able to offset any losses that come from your business. It's important to remember that you're not entitled to ...
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By Sam Thomas, When it's important; hire a professional.
(Providence Group Realty)
You don't have to break the bank to celebrate the holidays in style—even in this season of inflation. Prices may be higher on everything from food to gifts to decorations, but there are still plenty of opportunities to eke out extra savings. For example, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you can save a couple of hundred dollars a year just by sealing your home and boosting its insulation.1 Other small fixes—such as swapping old light bulbs for LEDs and plugging electronics into a powerstrip—can boost your yearly savings enough to pay off some of your holiday budget.And thanks to a pandemic-era boom in online shopping, it is easier than ever to find deals on new and pre-owned furniture, thrifted gifts, DIY decor, and more. Even secondhand stalwarts like Goodwil...
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By Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS, South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!
(Fathom Realty Washington LLC)
Real Estate 101 11/30/2022 (Quotes to help & motivate you!)The person interested in success has to learn to view failure as a healthy, inevitable part of the process of getting to the top!Attributed to Joyce BrothersThank you for reading and commenting on my blog post! This post was researched, authored, and photo by Paul Henderson, REALTOR®, ©2008-2022, all rights reserved. All information is deemed reliable; however it should be independently verified by the reader. Any reproduction of this blog post is prohibited without the prior written permission of the author...
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By Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!, St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent
(Red Rock Real Estate Brokered by Real)
Expired Can Get You Fired! Agent lists a property early on Friday and then leaves town and cannot be reached by phone call, text message or email. Upon his return, there are 9 offers on the table and unfortunately, each of them have expired.  Not only did the listing agent fail to best represent the sellers to the highest ability, he quickly found out that he was fired. The nine other buyer agents also did not do their best to seek a viable solution for their clients.  None of them contacted the LA's brokerage or attempted to reach the sellers after that agent left town for 3 days. What would you have done to ensure that the client's offer had eyes on it before expiring?  First, I'd call the LA's brokerage, ask for the broker or the agent chosen to help in his absence. If no results, I'...
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By Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!, St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent
(Red Rock Real Estate Brokered by Real)
Less Impressed with Highest & Best! Part of being an effective listing agent is to aggressively market properties, encouraging feet through the door to get them sold. Discussing details of any and all offers that may come in, is also a standard practice. A particular home hit on all marks for several buyers, resulting in a multi-offer situation. Agent and sellers started reviewing all contracts. Agent gets a call from a buyer agent, asking why their offer was not accepted. She  began to explain and suddenly the BA starts yelling, saying she is stupid, inept and that if she was smart, she would convince her clients to accept his buyers cash offer, which was well over list price plus a quick closing! The sellers heard the conversation, then asked which real estate purchase contract did th...
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By Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS, South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!
(Fathom Realty Washington LLC)
Real Estate 101 11/29/2022 (Quotes to help & motivate you!)In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can!Attributed to Nikos Kazantzakis Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog post! This post was researched, authored, and photo by Paul Henderson, REALTOR®, ©2008-2022, all rights reserved. All information is deemed reliable; however it should be independently verified by the reader. Any reproduction of this blog post is prohibited without the prior written permission of the author...
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By Ed Silva, Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally
(Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 )
A Short Sale Completed in Waterbury ConnecticutWith the hot market of the past 2 years people have seemed unaware of their neighbors that have been in trouble with their mortgages. People have still been in trouble and life has not been the best for some. People still get sick; jobs are lost, and relationships may have been harder due to the Pandemic.One homeowner in Waterbury hit that perfect storm of problems, with a divorce and a lost revenue stream. Keeping up with the court ordered settlement funds left no room for paying the mortgage. There was an issue with the primary mortgage under water as well as a secondary HUD note from a previous loan modification.With the acceptance of the short sale, the seller was relieved of both notes with a waiver of deficiency for all obligations. T...
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By Peter Mohylsky
(PMI. Destin)
You can crust in me!When it comes to finding the home of your dreams, all you knead is the right agent to help you keep your eyes on the pies.Give me a call so we can bake the most of your home buying experience! #thehelpfulagent #home #houseexpert #house #listreports #thanksgiving #pie #icanhelp #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #happyhome #happyhomeowners #househunting
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By Christopher Pataki, Hockessin Delaware Real Estate
(RE/MAX Associates)
At this point everyone knows not to fall for the email from a Nigerian prince promising to share his fortune with you if you just send him your banking information. After all, that scam has been around almost as long as the Internet has existed, and most people have seen it at least once!But people don’t buy or sell a house all that often, so real estate scams and shams can be easy to miss to the untrained eye.So let’s take a look at 5 things you should be leery of as a homebuyer or seller that may be an outright scam, or just something that’s not quite as promising as it may appear to be, so you know what to look for and can avoid them. 1) Asking you to wire escrow or closing cost moneyWhen you buy or sell a house, there’s a good chance that a title company or attorney will be handling...
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By Team Sapphire Mahesh and Rakhee Khatri, Your friends in real estate
( Sapphire Real Estate, Brokerage )
According to this Housing Wire article, 75% of people recently polled by Fannie Mae felt pessimistic about the real estate market, and that it’s not a good time to buy a house. So, if you’re among the many who feel that way, and you’re thinking about holding off for prices to come down, you’re not alone.Considering that interest rates are up and prices haven’t dropped as much as buyers would like, it isn’t surprising to hear that news. Some marginally qualified potential homebuyers have legitimately been priced out of the market. But many others are simply being cautious, not wanting to make a mistake by buying in this market, especially when so many other buyers don’t seem to think it’s a good time to buy.But that still leaves 25% of people who don’t think it’s a bad time to buy real e...
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By Team Sapphire Mahesh and Rakhee Khatri, Your friends in real estate
( Sapphire Real Estate, Brokerage )
At this point everyone knows not to fall for the email from a Nigerian prince promising to share his fortune with you if you just send him your banking information. After all, that scam has been around almost as long as the Internet has existed, and most people have seen it at least once!But people don’t buy or sell a house all that often, so real estate scams and shams can be easy to miss to the untrained eye.So let’s take a look at 5 things you should be leery of as a homebuyer or seller that may be an outright scam, or just something that’s not quite as promising as it may appear to be, so you know what to look for and can avoid them.1) Asking you to wire escrow or closing cost moneyWhen you buy or sell a house, there’s a good chance that a title company or attorney will be handling ...
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By Daniel Ramsey, MyOutDesk - Real Estate Virtual Professionals
(MyOutDesk)
What Is A Real Estate ISA?A real estate ISA (inside sales agent) is often misunderstood as a receptionist or personal assistant. This is inaccurate and misleading, as a true RE ISA is so much more than that, in the hands of a successful brokerage. An ISA is similar to an outside sales agent, but they don’t attend buyer appointments or walk clients through the selling process. Instead, they focus on being highly trained and experienced salespeople, inside your organization. They can do many of the same things an outside agent does, like setting appointments and nurturing leads.When leveraged successfully, an ISA can be an invaluable support to the rest of your real estate team. It’s all about having a dedicated and experienced professional to generate and cultivate leads. This will incre...
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By Joe Jackson, Clintonville and Central Ohio Real Estate Expert
(Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty)
This is an excellent post with great information. Thanks for sharing it.Have a super fantastic week!Joe Jackson, Realtor-KWCP What roles do ethics play in business?   In a competitive sales-based industry, agents must prove their value and worth to consumer's who are making one of the biggest investments in their lifetime. The following 3 things can help in business.   1️⃣ Developing and maintaining trust A key component to a good working relationship that takes time, every time. Keeping promises, a show of sincerity in all efforts and satisfying the client’s realistic expectations allows trust to result.   2️⃣ Transparency in business practices When meeting, relaying open and honest communications with fact-based information benefits the overall process. Be yourself, show utmost self-c...
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Are you a leader who gets things done? Or are you talking the talk but not walking the walk? You may be practicing all the right management and leadership styles, but real beef is in the RESULTS. If you start by defining the results needed or the goals you wish to accomplish you can then grow the people and processes to ensure those results! This commonsense leadership style is called the Result-Based Model of Leadership. Here is an example of how you can align your entire team to your goals. It begins with setting goals through your organization's strategic plan that is focused on your vision. Here is where you can define the desired results from your team members. It continues by aligning the people and the processes to ensure its realization. The goal is to have all your operations ...
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By Realtyna Inc, WordPress Real Estate - IDX, RESO Web API, CRM
(Realtyna)
Having a solid social media presence as a real estate professional is crucial to your overall marketing strategy. Not only for boosting brand awareness but also to establish your company as the go-to authority in your area. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that nearly 47 percent of real estate businesses agree to generate the best quality leads through social media compared to other platforms. And 77 percent of Realtors agree that they leverage social media to connect with millennials. Considering the growing popularity of social media as a source of information for both buyers and sellers, it is crucial to learn how to maximize the benefits you may reap from platforms like Twitter. Read on to learn more about connecting the dots to effectively dominate on Twitter as a...
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By Grant Schneider, Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes
(Performance Development Strategies)
Are you a leader who gets things done? Or are you talking the talk but not walking the walk? You may be practicing all the right management and leadership styles, but real beef is in the RESULTS.If you start by defining the results needed or the goals you wish to accomplish you can then grow the people and processes to ensure those results! This commonsense leadership style is called the Result-Based Model of Leadership.Here is an example of how you can align your entire team to your goals.It begins with setting goals through your organization's strategic plan that is focused on your vision. Here is where you can define the desired results from your team members.It continues by aligning the people and the processes to ensure its realization. The goal is to have all your operations linke...
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By June Piper-Brandon, Piecing Dreams One Home at a Time
(Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage)
Gratitude - Becoming the Family RealtorWhat a great Challenge - November 2022 Thanksgiving Gratitude Challenge.  We all have so much to be grateful for. In 2014 I sold a home to Devon Beverly.  A wonderful young man, so polite, well-spoken, and respectful.  He was a first-time homebuyer and had his act together, he had his downpayment together and good credit.  His Mom would often come with us when we were looking at homes and she also came to closing.  From that one sale, I also sold Devon's cousin a home a year later.  His cousin referred me to a colleague from work a few months later, and that colleague then  referred me to her daughter last year, then Devon's parents bought a home and sold a home with me, and last month Devon's younger brother, Desmond bought a home.  When we did th...
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By Khash Saghafi NMLS, Mortgage Loan Officer, Cleveland OH NMLS 1114762
(Liberty Home Mortgage Corporation)
"How can you make real estate easier?".I get asked this question all the time. Watch my video to learn the answer.Also, subscribe to my YouTube page to see my other videos and feel free to share and comment!!I am a loan officer who lends in 45 states and I handle the loan from start-to-finish. My cell phone is 1-216-780-1103 and I can be reached at anytime for questions, Pre-Approvals or anything else needed.
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