by Pam Ivey, REVA Institute Founder

Have you heard of KeepSum? Here’s their description from their About Us page:

KeepSum is a group-buying service for business owners in the real estate industry. We offer up to 60% savings on the products and services you already use (and those you’ve been saving up for) to run your small business. We’ve got deals for almost every part of your business, including:

• Accounting Tools
• Training and Education
• Printing and Marketing Services
• Social Media Tools
• Tech Tools
• Website Development
• And anything else you think you may need

I’ve seen some great deals come through that may be of interest to your clients. Be known as a great resource! www.keepsum.com

Look up, because Top Producer’s in the Cloud.
You’ll be able to access your business anytime, anywhere, from any touch screen mobile device – in SECONDS.

HTML 5 Puts your CRM in Overdrive. What this means for you is Super-Fast access to your clients and business from your smartphone or tablet, and an interface that’s intuitive and elegant. No downloads. No installs. Just open and go.

Say Hello to Contextual Coaching. You’ll stay one-step-ahead of your prospects with timely follow-up, lively communication and genuine conversation from one human being to another. So yeah, it’s ok. Go ahead and put the recipe cards on the back-burner, because you just got an intelligent way to follow-up and close.

Seamless Sync with Outlook® and Gmail®.* Kiss the hassles of duplicate data entry goodbye, because Top Producer lets you sync your contact and calendars seamlessly with Outlook and Gmail. Synchronization’s fast, and when you’re done, you’ll be able to manage all your contacts and schedule tasks right from Top Producer. *Coming Soon*

www.topproducer8i.com

Watch The Video

We are continually improving Top Producer 8i with new features, enhancements, and updates. This upcoming release focuses on those issues that you reported to us, improvements to the 8i Main Menu, and the optimization of 8i screen space and menus.

What’s New in this Update?

NEW! – The Top Producer 8i Main Menu

The first difference you’ll notice in this update is the changes made to the 8i Main Menu. Hovering over the new Applications menu provides you with a list of additional industry solutions. Clicking one of the options opens that product. The drop-down menu also provides all of the Financial options.

NEW! – Account Menu and Help Center Menu

Previous to this update, there were several links at the top right of every 8i screen that provided access to additional options and information. These links have now been organized into two menus: The Account Menu, and the Help Center Menu.

	Account Menu The Account Menu Title is the name of the currently logged-in user. My Account: Provides access to your account information, profile, team and assistant setup, and subscription information. Preferences: Provides access to your 8i preferences and settings. Sign Out: Sign out of 8i and return to the sign-in page.
	Help Center Menu Help with this page: Opens the searchable online help and shows information about the 8i page you are currently viewing. Online Support: Opens Top Producer Campus, the official Online Community and Support Website. Contact Us: Find out how to contact Top Producer services and support.

Update! – Re-order the 8i Dashboard

You can now re-order all of the boxes on the 8i Dashboard. In addition to swapping the order of the Contact Status box and the Contact list on the right of the page, you can now choose your preferred order for the My Business, Leads, Listings, and Closings areas. Just click the Up Arrow or Down Arrow icons at the top right of each area to change the order.

For more information about the 8i Dashboard, please read the Dashboard article, or Watch the Video

Update! – Contact Record Notes

When viewing the Summary Tab of a Contact or Lead record, an improvement has been made to the way you add and edit notes. Previously, you needed to click an Add Note link to add a new note, or click an Edit link to edit an existing note. Now, the Add Note box is always available at the top of the note list. Simply click within the New Note field and begin typing your note, or click an existing note to immediately begin editing it. Also, new notes no longer have a Title field (any old note that already had title information will still have a title).

For more information, see the Adding Notes article.

Update! – My Business: Extended Date Range Options

The My Business area, available on the 8i Dashboard, has been improved to allow the selection of two additional date ranges: 14 days, and 30 days. For more information, please read the My Business article.

Update! – Calendar: Today’s Business Removed

The Today’s Business list that was located on the right of the Calendar has been removed. The old Today’s Business list had limited functionality and has been replaced by the improved My Business area on the 8i Dashboard. For more information, please read the My Business article.

Update! – Quick Access and Full Screen Options Removed

The Quick Access and Full Screen options that were previously located at the top of every 8i screen have been removed. These options were seldom-used by our customers, and the options they provided are still accessible in other places within 8i:

• Applications: The applications list, which was available on the Quick Access page, is now available through the Applications option in the main menu.
• Add Contact and Add Lead: You can still quickly add a new contact and new lead from within the Contacts Menu.
• Add To-Do: Add a To-Do activity by selecting the Add Activity option within the Calendar menu.
• Full Screen: Instead of using a feature within 8i to change to Full Screen mode, you can use your Internet Browser. For both Internet Explorer and Firefox, press F11 on your keyboard to toggle the Full Screen option.

Source: http://www.topproducer.com/campus/landing-pages/program-updates/8i-updates/menu-id-237

My fiance Rob, became a real estate agent last year. I guess I finally got to him, having worked in the industry for the last eight years or so. Over the last few months, he’s been a member of By Referral Only and is coached by the team there as well. I’ve been really impressed by the level of service provided, as well as the excellent training that’s available through membership.

Here’s a video by Joe Stumpf, part 1 of 7 of his real estate marketing training:

The problem I have is that while everyone and their brother is telling you that you need to be using QR codes, very few resources are specifically showing you the best ways to use QR codes for real estate.

It is actually why we exist, innovation is rewarded, execution is worshiped.

Just like with Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Mobile, Video and any other buzz worthy platform or new technology some will adapt it quickly and pick up market share, most will fail and simply use it because the other agents in their office are.  So below you will find what in my opinion are the 5 best ways to use QR codes for real estate right now.  I would never assume these are the only ways and would love you to add your own creative ideas in the comments below.

Quick note before we get started with the list.  A QR Code is simply a bridge to a website that when scanned with a mobile device takes a consumer on a journey beyond the paper it is printed on.  One of the major perks is that all of the scans are tracked and thus the ROI is fairly easy to detect, critical to any high level marketer.  I also think there are 2 key things to consider when using QR codes:

1.  The web page that you direct the consumer to MUST be optimized for viewing on a mobile device.  Due to this I am recommending 3 sites that will cover all 5 strategies. The first is Vyoo.it which will create a mobile friendly landing page with all of the details of the property of your choosing including price, photos and of course your contact info. The second site is Goo.gl which allows you to turn any URL into a QR Code in seconds, again all scans are being tracked. The third is YouTube which is not only optimized well for mobile but will allow you to bring a video element to your QR code marketing. To make a long story short when I recommend a video be used as the destination simply go to YouTube and grab the URL of the video and then visit Goo.gl to generate the QR Code.

Continue reading on the Tech Savvy Agent blog…

Whether you are new to blogging, are ready to upgrade from WordPress.com, to .org, or are moving an old website to the WordPress platform, it can be intimidating and overwhelming to find and choose a theme, even for the best “do-it-your-selfers!” With so many choices and considerations, a little preparation can mean the difference between a successful launch of your online hub, or a conundrum of issues and problems that take time to manage.

As a real estate virtual assistant, I’ve learned a lot by trial and error on my own site, before I started delving into supporting agents with their transition to WordPress. I thought it might be helpful to put together my Beginner’s WordPress for Real Estate Preparation List, specifically for real estate in mind, that can serve to help you in your quest for being a WordPress pro. By organizing a simple list to consider you can weed out the NO’s and be on your way to having a killer real estate WordPress website/blog! So here goes:

#1  Will your WordPress theme serve as your website, your blog or both?

Choose a theme that has the main structure in place of what you need.  Look at the menu navigation options..Home Page, About, Services, as well as a Blog page. Will they be integrated? If so, choose a theme that already has a blog, and website already built-in.

#2 Is this site for your personal business, or for your team or multiple authors?

If you plan on using  your site as a business site consider the look and feel that would best represent a structure that suits your branding, or your need for multi-users. Perhaps you’d like a theme that offers a specific design structure to highlight multiple authors and their own about pages? If that is the plan stay away from themes that are too limited in what they provide.

Continue reading this helpful post on Laura’s Blog…

The technical definition of a real estate broker is one who is trained or licensed in real estate.  The training that they receive gives them the ability to arrange your needs as well as sell you different property.   Beyond this, real estate brokers provide different types of financial deals and considerations for the real estate that you are considering buying.

In order for a real estate broker to work with you, they must have a license.  This means that they will need to pass a written test that relates to different real estate definitions and standards.  This is usually part of training that they receive in the classroom.  This license comes from the state and has to be renewed either every year or every other year, depending on where the broker is practicing.

Usually, a real estate broker will have agents who work underneath them.  The agents will do some of the work in selling the property or real estate, and in return get some commission from the sale.  Being a broker gives one who is in the real estate business to have their own company and have agents working under them for real estate.  Brokers will also need to find the properties that can be sold by their particular company.  Usually, time will be spent by brokers to find the right homes and areas for selling the property.

If you want to make sure that your team is put together in a solid way, then using a real estate broker is usually a good find.  This will give you the ability to find someone who is practiced in various parts of the real estate business, giving you the key to more possibilities.

One important person that is part of the real estate investment plan is the real estate bird dogs.  The main job of a real estate bird dog is to find property for those who want to invest in real estate property.  After they find a property, the investor will then pay them a service fee.  The real estate bird dog will have no attachment to the property after it is found and given to the investor, leaving the rest of the changes up to the real estate investor.  If one is going to invest in a property, they will expect the real estate bird dog to find them leads that are valuable and can be sold at a good price.

There are several ways in which a real estate bird dog can find a home and bring it to an investor.  Most bird dogs will find property that is being sold by the owner.  When this is brought to the investor, they will pay a certain amount to the bird dog.  If someone is trying to have their payments taken over because of foreclosure, this can also are brought to a real estate company.  Those who have had circumstances take over the owning of their property can be recommended to the investor.  For example, a second mortgage that can’t be paid, a death by the owner of the home, a loss of a job and other family or career related issues can be leads for a real estate bird dog.  From here, the real estate company can try to sell the home.  If they do, then the real estate bird dog will receive a commission for the find.

Understanding the process of real estate, and using the different resources can help you to find the best deals and make the best deals.  If you aren’t sure where to start, using a real estate bird dog is a good way to sniff out what is available to you.  This will give you the ability to claim or give away a piece of property on the market.

Build ‘rank only’ social media profiles.

The idea that all of your social media profiles need to be active is, simply put, wrong. While it’s wise to concentrate your promotional efforts on just one service, it’s equally smart to spread your company as wide as possible using the authority of other scial media websites. With a collection of accounts indexed by Google, the chance of negative feedback creeping into your results is lowered.

Don’t always respond to criticism.

Social media is the perfect avenue for responding to criticism. It’s public, easily accessible, and read by millions of users across the world. When unfair comments are posted that are easily refuted, it’s a smart move to publicly respond and clear the air.

But it’s also a move that alerts the search engines to that page, and if the response turns into a major topic of discussion, it’s one that could move up the ranking pages. If you would like to keep certain pages on the ‘down low’, it might be best to ignore them completely.

Build links to social media profiles and discussion pages.

Most search engine optimization professionals recommend building links to your website. For direct response advertisers and online companies, that’s often a wise choice. But what about socially powered companies? Your market’s not the same as theirs, so why should your strategy be the same?

If you want to truly control your Google ranking pages, ensure that you spend a small amount of time building inbound links to your unused profile pages. While it’s unlikely they’ll generate leads or help your business succeed, they can create a useful ‘Google barrier’ that prevents inaccurate information and controversy from rising to the top of the ranks.

It is very rare indeed when something comes along that works as advertised.  Here is an incredibly powerful, quick and easy tool that will turn your listings into lead generation monsters…

Craigslist the Smart Way

ListingsToLeads.com is a service that automates most of the process of posting your listings on Craigslist in a way that generate results, big time.  The sad fact is that most REALTOR’s attempts to use Craigslist to generate leads from their listings fail miserably.  Scott Pierce, CEO and Founder of ListingsToLeads.com is a Craigslist Guru that figure out the formula for consistent lead generation results, which includes:

• High-impact HTML ad templates – which can be customized with your brand look and feel;
• Compelling Call-To-Action Landing Pages – essentially a powerful and proven lead capture system;
• Best Practices – for posting your Craigslist ads for maximum exposure and impact.

I Lied…

Read more: http://blog.onlinedominance.com/category/mr-internet-tip/#ixzz100YMQU3o

Read more: http://blog.onlinedominance.com/category/mr-internet-tip/#ixzz100YH2Tl6

http://blog.onlinedominance.com/category/mr-internet-tip/

Sure, an VA can help with file coordination, mailings and client correspondence, but can they really help you win over a listing appointment? You bet.

It is important to do your due diligence when looking for a virtual assistant. Choosing a qualified and talented team of virtual assistants will be the key!  If you have the right VA on your side, all you will need to do is tell them your goals, and they will take care of the rest.  In our experience as a Virtual Assistant Team, our clients often say, “I’d really like to stand out from my fellow agents in the area,” or “I’d really like to attract more high end sellers.”  

Over the years, we have developed thorough systems that we are ready to put to work for each client.

We’ve even put together comprehensive Marketing & Pre-Listing Presentations that can be customized to showcase your your marketing efforts:

Read more…

When should I hire an assistant? How should I train them? What should they do for me? These are questions I get asked every time I coach a new client or speak before a group of REALTORS. Assistants can be an important addition to a REALTOR’s business. Hiring an assistant can also be one of the most frustrating experiences, and financially challenging, times in business.

Before a REALTOR should hire an assistant, they should clearly identify the need for one and the job responsibility of the assistant. I believe the purpose for the assistant is two-fold. The first is to relinquish the low pay off activities to someone who has less value per hour than I do. Second, to fill in the gaps in the areas I am not highly skilled at doing.

To determine what the low payoff activities are, make a large “T” the size of a piece of paper. On the left write the high payoff activities. On the right fill in low payoff activities. List the things you do based on value on each side, meaning value based dollars returned to you when you do those things. We generally earn 85-95% of our income doing about a half dozen things. The key is to identify those things. Then create a game plan to increase the time we are doing those high payoff activities on the left side. By taking the right side low payoff activities, you can develop an assistant’s job description. Over time they should be trained to perform the bulk of the low payoff activities so you can focus more energy on the high payoff activities.

Now we need to focus on what we are truly skilled at and enjoy doing. Separate those tasks and activities. Create a list of activities you are not skilled or highly efficient at. These should be delegated to staff, affiliates, or completely dropped from performing. Then we must find the person who has the skills and enjoys doing those functions.

Too often we hire people like ourselves. This does not allow someone to fill in our gaps. I always looked for staff that enjoyed the paperwork aspect, the office behind the scenes environment, someone who had strong organizational skills and someone who was a great follower. We already had a leader and did not need another leader – I was it.

The timing of adding a staff member is important. We often add an assistant too late. We are overwhelmed and throw the new assistant in the pressure cooker with us. We have more business than we can handle effectively, so we hire. The problem is we have no time to train then their performance, and ability to perform effectively right now, discourages us. That is truly a no-win situation for an assistant.

My advice is to hire before you are in a crisis. Try hiring your assistant in the slower months of your business. I realize you will have to feed the business for a few months. But you will be able to invest the training time necessary to produce a quality assistant who will be ready to perform at a high level when you take off. When you are growing and very busy it is hard to find time to train staff properly. Preparation is the key to achieving success through assistants.

Take the steps to evaluate your need for an assistant. Then create the job description out of your low payoff activities. Then invest the time daily to train, coach, and monitor your assistant. These steps will ensure you are hiring an assistant that is a wealth center. A quality assistant will increase your business and give you more freedom to spend with your family.

Today, the House passed its version of the FHA reform; now, it is on the Senate to vote on their version of the bill. Where the rubber meets the road is determining exactly how the new legislation will affect the housing industry and the buyers who rely on FHA programs to make purchases happen, when they may not have the financial resources for a 20% down payment.

Previously, the monthly FHA mortgage insurance premium was .55% of the loan amount. Now, it has essentially tripled to 1.55%. Many within the FHA claim that this additional premium will help to strengthen the Administration’s balance sheet while building additional reserves to guarantee more loans and reduce long-term costs for borrowers.  Others would argue that present borrowers’ monthly expenses will rise and make it harder for others to qualify.

Continue reading…http://www.brokeragentsocial.com/article/798/fha-reform-is-here-now-is-it-good-or-bad

Please add your own ideas to the comments so we can all share!

• Home Address Plaques – carved with either the homeowner’s name, street number or address (remember to have the agent’s name and contact details inscribed on the piece somewhere too!)
• Stationery – Notcards, notepads, envelopes printed with the homeowner’s name and address
• Custom Floor and Door Mats – customized with client’s last name or address
• Gift Baskets – filled with wine, cheese, chocolate, cookies etc.
• Floral Arrangement
• Cleaning Service – move in/move out cleaning service – allowing your client not to have to worry about cleaning the old house when they’ve moved their possessions, and allowing them to move into a nice, sparkling clean new home
• Houseplants
• Self-Inking Address Stamp with the new address
• Gift Cards for stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Linen ‘N Things, etc.
• Tickets to the Theatre, Museum, Sports, Movie Theatre, etc.
• Painting of the new home
• Home Owner’s Journal – for homeowners to keep important legal documents, receipts, manuals, etc.
• Monogrammed Throw
• Champagne and two champagne glasses
• An Engraved Doorknocker
• Interior Design Consultation

What have you given to your clients as closing gifts?

http://www.hgtv.ca/articles/articles_realestate_new.aspx?sub=1&cat=3&by=1

Buying

• 10 Tips for Turning a First Home Into an Income Property
• Bidding War Basics For Buyers
• Buying or Renovating Your House with the Planet in Mind
• Create Value in Your Home with Scott McGillivray
• Creating a Second Suite
• Design Tips to Last For First-Time Homeowners
• Finding the Cracks in Your Financial Foundation
• Finding the Right Mortgage
• House Hunting: Find the Right Fit for You
• How to Find a Real Estate Agent
• Location, Location, Location
• Nailing Down Home Renos with Scott McGillivray
• Real Estate Glossary
• Sarah Richardson’s 10 Tips for Finding and Buying Your Dream Home
• Ten Tips to Consider Before Buying a Home
• The Essential Cottager’s Companion
• The Home Buyer’s Guide
• Tips for Finding the Perfect Vacation Home
• Understanding Condos
• What You Should Know Before Buying a Home

For Sale signs have been springing up all over our region for happy summer home and year-round residents and is keeping listing and closing coordinators busy.

How is the market in your neck of the woods?

Join Laura Monroe of Creative Agent Solutions.com for our teleclass on Active Rain the Real Estate Network. With over 150,000 members who are Real Estate Professionals, you can’t afford to miss this! Learn all about Active Rain; from getting started, optimizing your profile, points, blogging for leads, joining groups, and taking advantage and all the tools it offers your business and your client’s as well.

Register here

Now, REVA Institute is extremely proud to be known as the only retailer of the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER Certification for Virtual Assistants.

Save $20 off of the cost of the Webographers certification just by visiting this link!

Allen will be discussing the role of the real estate virtual assistant in today’s real estate industry.  He will bring a couple of his CyberStars to the discussion to also discuss the virtal role that their REVAs play in their business.  This is an opportunity for our members to pick the brains of some of the most successful real estate professionals who are making a killing online using today’s technology and the Internet.

Don’t miss this event!  Visit our teleseminar page to sign up!

As always, REVA Institute provides our monthly teleseminars for free.