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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 Bob "RealMan" Timm, Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker
(Ward County Notary Services)
My mother always taught me that profanity is a sign of a simple (uneducated) mind. For the most part I have found that true but I confess there have been times where I've let go of a profane tirade when I've been very upset. Many of those times I wish I could take it back.  Yet there have been times where I have no regret. However when it comes to casual conversation I am always disappointed in myself if I let a profanity slip (especially in front of family members).Real Estate agents should be as professional as possible at all times, you never know who is listening and/or watching.I've learned this also caries over to driving habits. That fellow you cut off or flipped off may be your next appointment.  
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By Will Hamm, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"
(Hamm Homes)
Here is a great blog from Denise Lones from August 11,2023 that we can all learn from.  Appreciation: The Secret Weapon in Your Seller Toolbox When someone is thinking about a move, they aren't necessarily focused on the future - they are thinking about why the home they are living in doesn't meet their needs now. The challenge in the current market is that sellers want to move, but when confronted with the financial reality of a higher monthly payment due to interest rates, sellers freeze. They are caught between wanting to improve their living situation, but being too uncomfortable with the impact on monthly payment. There may only be so much that can be done about whether someone can qualify for a certain amount or not. However, if a would-be homebuyer is basing their decision on mov...
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By Endre Barath, Jr., Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties)
Breaking News: Top 100 agents for Los Angeles, Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties have been announced by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.I am so grateful, that I am still in the top one hundred after the first nine months of production for the year. I am equally appreciative and grateful to my clients that got me to this point.This year was very challenging, and I am still in the top 100 to be exact #50! Thank you again and I look forward to helping you in future sales and purchases. Wishing you a safe and healthy life and I look forward to your comments. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, focused and goal-oriented Realtor in the Beverly Hills area who will help you achieve your Real Estate goals, please reach out to me directly! If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Re...
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By Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!, The best agent in Southern Utah!
(Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374)
Eating Crow. Becawse!  Heavily embellished descriptions used by some agents to promote their listings are questionable. Experienced professionals can easily determine when puffing and fluffing is present, potentially propping up a property that fails to pass muster. Being a realist means giving me facts, rather than an overly-flourished fairy tale. In the many practiced years as an agent, never have I opted to deter from a listing's details. Buyers appreciate that upon crossing over a residence's threshold. Catchy titles might grab the attention, better be on point. These are a few examples that I have found: ◾ BETTER THAN NEW!Some homes continue to possess a timelessness due to superior workmanship but let’s face it; there is nothing that compares to new construction. No matter how wel...
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By Will Hamm, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"
(Hamm Homes)
Once again we can all learn from each other here in the Rain Homeownership is amazing—but it's also a total lifestyle shift from the rental days. From surprise plumbing issues to finally being able to pick paint colors, there's a whole lot that changes.  If you're considering making the leap, understanding these shifts can prepare you for what lies ahead and ensure a smoother transition to homeownership. 1. Wealth-Building Equity Owning a home means transitioning from monthly rent payments that don't contribute to your future to mortgage payments that build equity over time. Equity—the portion of your home that you truly own—can grow as you pay down your mortgage and as your property value appreciates.  Fact: According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Chief Economist Lawren...
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By Will Hamm, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"
(Hamm Homes)
Quality is more important than quantity on social media. Before posting something, ask yourself if it brings value to the prospects you want, and gets their engagement. Algorithms look for creators who post quality posts, not for who’s posting the most.Visualize what your success will look like, then make a firm decision to succeed. When you commit to putting in the work, opportunities arise and good things happen—the reward for your commitment to do what needs to be done.Whenever you can, instead of texting or emailing clients and prospects, pick up the phone and talk or video chat with them. Your goal is to build relationships, and live, real-time communication is the quickest way to get people to know, like, and trust you.Look for the opportunity to provide something of value to othe...
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By LeAnne Carswell, Real estate broker in charge of large team
(Expert Real Estate Team)
Homeownership is amazing—but it's also a total lifestyle shift from the rental days. From surprise plumbing issues to finally being able to pick paint colors, there's a whole lot that changes. If you're considering making the leap, understanding these shifts can prepare you for what lies ahead and ensure a smoother transition to homeownership.1. Wealth-Building EquityOwning a home means transitioning from monthly rent payments that don't contribute to your future to mortgage payments that build equity over time. Equity—the portion of your home that you truly own—can grow as you pay down your mortgage and as your property value appreciates. Fact: According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, homeowners, on average, have 40 times the net worth of re...
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By Alan May, Home again, home again...
(Jameson Sotheby's International Realty)
In a recent listing, a buyer was asking me if there was hardwood flooring under the luxurious wool carpeting in the home.  I told them that it was an estate sale and we didn't really know, but given the age of the home it was likely as home of this era were typically built with oak flooring, but I couldn't represent with any certainty that we have hardwood under the beautiful carpet.She asked if we could pull up a corner, and unfortunately, as a guardian of the home, I couldn't allow that, unless we could find a location that wouldn't show.  Normally I search for a floor vent to pull out to see the flooring. (all of the HVAC vents in this home were on the walls, not the floors.)Well, long story short (I know, I know... too late!)... we did find a closet where we felt it was okay to pull...
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By Doug Rogers, Your Real Estate Resource!
(RE/MAX Coastal Properties)
Real Estate Practice-You Can't Spend Your Way Out Of A Recession One thing the last recession brought was an abundance of  ink pens. Oh how I had pens, and stationary, and refrigerator magnets, and... What was missing you ask? Why closings of course! The dirty little secret is most of the stuff sold to agents is vanity centered. After all, who wouldn't want a pen with their name on it? Back in the day my average commission after split was a little North of  1,800 dollars. Even in 2009 that wasn't much money. What saved my business backside you ask? ActiveRain! Well, not so much the website but rather the folks that interacted here. I learned the basics of blogging, and found many friends. The collaboration with these agents from across the country helped keep me ahead of the agents in m...
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By Patricia Feager, ABR,CRS,GRI,MRP, Selling Homes Changing Lives
(DFW FINE PROPERTIES)
"Courage is a kind of salvation."---Plato November 10th celebrated our nation's third-oldest branch of the military celebrating its 249th birthday. This past weekend my daughter informed me she spoke as the Master of Ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland for the U.S. Marine and Navy. Honorary guests were U.S. Ambassador Scott C. Miller and Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Colonel Michael Taylor. This Monday, November 18th, I am reminded about the value of communication styles that begins in early childhood. It is important to understand how valuable effective communication is throughout our lifetime. When people speak, we need to listen. Soldiers are highly trained to communicate and listen. Communication begins with having self-respect and then respecting others. November is a month...
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When showing properties with buyer clients, Shhh! is the operative word.    The Walls Have Ears and Eyes For Shhh-ure! 👀   When showing properties with buyer clients, Shhh! is the operative word. One of the biggest givaways is when people get overly excited after finally finding the home they truly want. It's difficult to tamp down emotions for some but benefits them greatly in the end! Encourage them to be stoic, until well away from the house.   Owners may have high-definition, security cameras placed in strategic places to listen and look in on people as they peruse their home. Getting hyped can cost more money! Negotiating is a lot like playing hide-n-seek. You don't want the other side to know where you are because the walls often have eyes and ears.   Too many promising deals fall...
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By Leanne Smith, The Grit and Gratitude Agent
(Dirt Road Real Estate)
Being in sales is a challenge. Real estate sales takes that challenge to a much higher level. Envision an elevator that travels between those levels as your reputation while your character pulls that elevator up or pushes it down.  So how do I know I got both reputation and character?  Possibly these words by Abraham Lincoln may help to differentiate between these two words.“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” A little history:Since March of 2017, my husband and I have called Golden Valley, AZ our home.  In December of 2017, I earned my real estate license even though I had never sold real estate before. My nearly five decades of sales experience was in the corporate business to business (B2B) world. I be...
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By Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!, The best agent in Southern Utah!
(Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374)
The Walls Have Ears and Eyes For Shhh-ure! 👀 When showing properties with buyer clients, Shhh! is the operative word. One of the biggest givaways is when people get overly excited after finally finding the home they truly want. It's difficult to tamp down emotions for some but benefits them greatly in the end! Encourage them to be stoic, until well away from the house. Owners may have high-definition, security cameras placed in strategic places to listen and look in on people as they peruse their home. Getting hyped can cost more money! Negotiating is a lot like playing hide-n-seek. You don't want the other side to know where you are because the walls often have eyes and ears. Too many promising deals fall apart because buyers are unable contain their excitement. Perhaps it was because ...
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By Candice A. Donofrio, 928-201-4BHC (4242) call/text
(Next Wave RE Investments LLC Bullhead City AZ Commercial RE Broker)
As a Mohave County Commercial Real Estate Broker, I am all about protecting our clients, whether sellers, buyers, landlords or tenants, from making mistakes in their decisions to buy, sell, lease and to whom. I solve problems, find inroads, keep things together. That's my job.For the most part, our clientele is sophisticated enough to understand what they are doing and possess the resources to conduct their inspections, obtain financing etc. They will usually be proactive, communicative and on top of their contractual obligations.But when a client starts pointing fingers at the broker for 'not doing what is THE CLIENT'S responsibility' - even when provided marching orders along with all the resources by their broker - that's a HUGE RED FLAG.   What we as brokers will and should do:Provi...
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By Dana (Lerner) Sparks, Satisfying You with Service Innovation & Education
(Maximum One Realty - Managing Broker)
Why do I see $10 in a real estate contract? Does the Buyer actually pay the Seller $10? What is this all about? What is "consideration?" Is Earnest money REQUIRED for a real estate contract in Georgia? Watch the video!Dana Sparks, Broker of Maximum One Greater Atlanta, REALTORSDana@MaximumOneRealty.com
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By Roy Kelley
(Retired)
Learning to pivot, gains results and greeting the day with a can-do mindset will get you there.   Learning to Pivot in Uncertain Times   Our industry constantly evolves, requiring changes and adjustments to improve performance and gain a better foothold to push business in the up direction, in any market. I have thrived in more than one market shift.   Unfortunately, some people get stuck when faced with bad news or experience business disappointments. They may lack coping skills, are in denial or can be just completely discombobulated, stewing in their own juices.   Learning to pivot, gains results and greeting the day with a can-do mindset will get you there. Three things that positively impacts business:   1. Stop comparing success with others. Forget the ranking among peers, busines...
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By Will Hamm, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"
(Hamm Homes)
I use to have a problem with this but someone that I office with change a couple of things with how I do think.  Now grant it I have three desk in my office and I use all three of them, one is my computer desk and main desk, another is my out going mail desk that I or someone else uses for keeping my mailers organize and on time to be be mailed out.  The third desk is keeping my buyers files in front of me to keep them at the top of the mind to find them there home.Yes I have incoming stuff coming in everyday and to keep things  I have a 1-2-3 desk system now that works.  Incoming stuff goes either in the trash, information and keeper is read it and file it if it needs keeping, and action items goes in top file storage in files and of course I use Melissa Zavala book daily, The Essentia...
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By Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!, The best agent in Southern Utah!
(Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374)
Learning to Pivot in Uncertain Times Our industry constantly evolves, requiring changes and adjustments to improve performance and gain a better foothold to push business in the up direction, in any market. I have thrived in more than one market shift. Unfortunately, some people get stuck when faced with bad news or experience business disappointments. They may lack coping skills, are in denial or can be just completely discombobulated, stewing in their own juices. Learning to pivot, gains results and greeting the day with a can-do mindset will get you there. Three things that positively impacts business: 1. Stop comparing success with others. Forget the ranking among peers, business is more than a numbers game. People know when they are being 'sold' as opposed to being guided toward ho...
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By Bob "RealMan" Timm, Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker
(Ward County Notary Services)
I have no idea where this comic strip came from. Timmothy has long beautiful hair but as far as I know no one ever messes it up on him. I on the other hand have almost no hair yet it's messed up all the time. The cartoon reminded me of the woman's style of "ratting" in the 60's. My favorite was actress Bridgett Bardot. Real EstateTransferring the thought "Don't Mess Up My Hair" to Don't mess up my system. All business people have a system that works for them. When I was a Real Estate Broker I had a system that worked for me. It was comfortable for me but maybe a little relaxed for many new agents that wanted some ridged guidelines to help them focus. When I sold my company I made the error of sticking with the company. The error was they were extremely ridged and I could not fit my form...
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By Doug Rogers, Your Real Estate Resource!
(RE/MAX Coastal Properties)
Do Seller Concessions Work In 2024?Closing cost assistance, landscaping allowance, new blinds/drapes, do such things make a difference in getting a home sold? Or is it simply better to get the price down as much as possible? For new construction I can understand the builder's desire to hold firm on price. After all, the price per foot on unit one will set the cap for unit three down the road. But what about on the resale side? Is it better to offer closing costs in the public remarks or simply lower the price? In my mind getting the price down seems to be the better move. After all, price feeds to all the major portals. Home buyers all over the world will get an alert the moment a price improvement is made. What are your thoughts? What seems to be working in your market? As for concessi...
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