September 5, 2010

5 Daily Principles for New Home Sales Agents

As new home sales agents, we often find ourselves looking back on the “game-tape” of the events that were played out on life’s field that day.

At times we may be searching for answers, meaning, direction, and are left wondering, “Where did the day go? What did I forget to do? Could I have done more?” calendar check list

Today can seem like the same day, everyday, yet we play back the moments spent and time loss anyway…hoping, for a glimpse of a fresh start tomorrow.

There is an endless list of daily decisions that need to be made and acted upon in order for us to find inner peace and success; according to John Maxwell there are only twelve.

In his book “Today Matters,” leadership expert John Maxwell crystallizes a dozen key areas of life, that he guarantees will help any individual find fulfillment, purpose, and success each day of their life.

Known for his quick witted humor in the organizational and business leadership arena, he takes a more personal, reflective tone in scripting what could be known as one of his best books yet.

John begins by underlining the value of every single day; saying that “today can be a masterpiece…, or a disaster;” it all depends on the sum of decisions that we make each day.

The following paragraphs illustrate just a few out of the twelve key points found in the individual daily decisions outlined by Maxwell in “Today Matters.”

  • Today’s ATTITUDE gives Me Possibilities

Ever look in a mirror and not like what you see? Is your reflection involved in a hidden conspiracy to sabotage your self image?

Are you at conflict with what you believe about yourself?

Some people are old, and don’t act their age; some are overweight, and don’t care; others are beautiful, and haven’t a clue.

Your attitude is the reflection, of your perception of life. What you believe determines what you will see!

Beginning each morning with a positive mental outlook is crucial to realizing the impact that each day has in creating a healthy life.

  • Today’s PRIORITIES Gives Me Focus

Allowing outside circumstances and events to dictate the path and destination of life is frustrating and dangerous. Prioritizing each activity, everyday ensures you a maximum return on time and energy.

Imagine waking up every morning with a list of 100 places to stop on your way to work. Most likely many of those detours would keep you from making it to your job on time, and keep you from doing what you know needs to be done.

Half way down the list, the pit in your stomach spells out the potential loss of your job, so you disregard the rest of the itinerary and rush to work. But it’s too late, the damage is done – your boss doesn’t understand.

Not having a clear impression of what is important to you personally in life is just about the same thing… going somewhere but, not getting to where you want to be.

  • Today’s HEALTH Gives Me Strength

If you feel like you are moving a lot slower than you use to, it’s probably not the fact that your birthday is next week. Really!

Medical studies, one after another prove that it is the lack of physical activity in human life that degrades our bodies, not necessarily our age.

In modern society it is readily declared that the right attitude to have in our careers is “work smarter, not harder.” Time will prove however, that this is a fallible viewpoint.

We should be aiming to, “work harder and smarter!” Our physical bodies need to be challenged consistently. You have heard that a “chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” so it goes with us.

Every detail to maintaining a healthy spirit, soul, and body will add value to our life experiences each day.

  • Today’s FAMILY Gives Me Stability

Physically, the muscles in the abdomen are the most important group of muscles in our body.

From our mid-section you can trace an unbreakable fiber of muscle tissue to each one of our other 560+ muscle groups.

Intricately woven, this network of different muscles combine and work together, to promote physical movement throughout our body.

In our lives, the role of our family and its members, demonstrate a similar relationship between society and our self.

The “bread basket” of personal peace and fulfillment is found in a life patterned by love and interdependence with others.

Developing healthy relationships with those that are closest to us give us strength to fulfill our potential daily.

  • Today’s THINKING Gives Me an Advantage

For most of us, thinking is something we do not do enough of.

It used to be, that men and women were praised for the gift of being able to pull thoughts out of other’s minds. In contrast however, today’s society rewards those who are able to incorporate their own thoughts into another mind.

We should think more about thinking.

Weighing out our options in fore sight, allows us the freedom to be able to choose our own destiny.

This incredible tool is powerful in that it provides us with the opportunity to concisely and effectively communicate our goals, desires, needs, and position in life to others around us.

Today, amidst everything else, is a new chance to get it right… even this morning’s troubles have already been spent, paid in full, with no option for a refund!

Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying, “One today is worth two tomorrows; what I am to be, I am now becoming.”

There is no better ailment for days gone by and no fonder cure for days to come, than making good decisions today.

Take time to evaluate, and become familiar with what is really important in life, and don’t hold back in living it out.

Do this daily and discover truly that TODAY MATTERS MOST!

Six Secrets Every Home Builder Should Know about Websites

According to a recent study conducted by the National Home Builders Association, more than 80% of new home buyers start the home buying process on the Internet.

It seems that those statistics have yet to reach the advertising and marketing departments for a majority of the home building industry. See also, Home Builders Are You Blogging?

One Texas home builder however, seems to be getting the message loud and clear.

Tilson Homes has been building quality new homes on Texas land for over 75 years, and a quick peak at their website might foretell why many more prospective clients will consider them to build their new house in the future.

home builder website tilson

Here are the top six characteristics on how this home builder website effectively delivers the information that Internet prospects want; and how you can implement similar strategies with your online advertising:

1.  The main objective for most house hunters searching the Internet is to gather information that will help them make an informed buying decision.

An online sales counselor should be available 7 days a week during normal business hours to help answer prospective questions that are not covered in your online marketing literature.

2.  Customer interactivity does not have to be flashy to be an effective Internet advertising tool on home builders websites.

The ability to create a user account to store home search information will foster repeat visits to your website, and begins to incorporate a sense of customer attentiveness to your prospect’s personal needs and wants.

3.  It is suggested to formulate multiple access points for the main content of your website. Web marketing studies show that different web users respond to different visual stimuli.

Balancing graphic links with keyword rich text links can increase your website browsers ability to effectively navigate your floor plans and home offerings easier.

4.  A common complaint for many home builder websites is that there is not enough information regarding specific product and floor plan offerings.

Stop all heavy handed advertising techniques that impede a home buyers ability to gather information! Give them what they are coming to your website for new home information.

5.  Provide live pictures that actually demonstrate the product that you are offering to build.

A home builder only has to build a floor plan for client, to be able to re-use those images to sell to another. Most home buyers don’t want to imagine their future home, they want to see it.

6.  In case your website design team missed the mark on providing access to the easy to find information that your web clients are looking for…

Create a simple keyword rich, text-based site map navigation page that allows browsers un-tethered access to everything that your home building website offers.

This is the information age. Gone are the days of home builders and real estate professionals being the only segment of the population to posses knowledge regarding new housing and construction.

Just as the home building industry has implemented new technology, and techniques to speed up the construction process itself, the online home buyer has also discovered the power and freedom that well designed web technology brings.

Builders who take initiative with these simple, yet effective website marketing strategies will reap the rewards that transcend their core construction services, they will be sewing the seeds of future new home sales.

Google allows home buyers to exclude your website

Now home buyers can now tell Google which sites to show them search results from.

According to Google, “The preferred sites feature lets you set your Google Web Search preferences so that your search results match your unique tastes and needs. Fill in the sites you rely on the most, and results from your preferred sites will show up more often when they’re relevant to your search query.”

Example: google preferred sites

A potential client is searching new home listings online.

They only want to view specific listings like “open houses for new construction” and not resales. They might add home builder websites like SheaHomes.com, KB.com, spechomes.com, and other sites to their list of preferred Google search terms.

In this fashion, when a search is performed for home builder models, results from those websites on  the preferred list will return first. The preferred sites feature sort of acts like a filter or aggregator, which means you might as well flush all of your new home marketing efforts down the drain!

Only kidding, your real estate blogging efforts will most likely trump the average internet user!

This is why…

In order for this new feature to work, one must be signed into their Google account. Preferences and settings will have to be modified to enable the feature. According to Google, it will parse your browsing history and offer some suggestions as to which sites you might add to the list. (Featured listings?)

Once you’ve added a list of sites, you’ll see a little indicator in the search results that lets you know that that particular result came from your list.

Feel free to read more about it here.

Top 10 Real Estate Classified Secrets

Here are the top 10 secret techniques that you must incorporate into your online real estate classified listings, to maximize their effect in securing a prospective new home buyer’s attention.

Read this quick list below to discover the features that an effective real estate classified listing should contain. Compare these helpful new home marketing ideas to what you are currently doing online: 

1. Detailed Property Information. Let it all out!

2. Interactive Tools. Give the buyer custom maps, mortgage calculators, and the ability to email the listing to their friends.

3. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

4. Customize a unique description of the property – written by someone who knows! Usually the person selling the home.

5. Must Have Multimedia! (If you don’t have it… You don’t get it.)

6. Exotic and Standard feature offerings gathered together into an easy to read list.

7. Transparency. Use Zillow or comparable home information to gain trust with your buyer so they know your asking price is fair.

8. Every way known to man to contact the seller.

9. Link to sales agents other similar homes and offerings.

10. Establish credibility with agent photo and Bio.

New Home Marketing Meet Zillow

Selling new home construction has been relatively easy for new home sales agents the past few years. A potential home buyer would purchase a new home – largely based on what the home builder’s sales agent said the house was worth.

The only real obstacle standing in the way of the home builder getting the asking price for the property, would be an occasional maverick appraisal company trying to urk out property values within the new community. In those cases, either the home builder would lower the new home’s sales price… or find a more agreeable property appraiser.

Zillow is changing how the real estate appraisal game is being played.

Like adding instant replay to the NFL, there now exists a “time out” reference point for all parties involved in a real estate transaction to “review the call,” before a final purchase determination is made.

While there is a strong argument on the accuracy of the “Zillow Zestimate,” this new Real Estate 2.0 mammoth is not going to go away. Real Estate Professonals will have to learn to contend with – and learn to profit from this new consumer centric info portal.