5 Types of Homebuyers and How to Sell to Them
In many industries today, professionals are looking for better systems to do their work—whether it's software, simplifying process, or even outright automation, we're working in a world that wants to save time. But real estate is rarely so straightforward. Sometimes it feels like each buyer is completely unique, and maybe they are. That doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile to consider some archetypes — typical examples of a certain kind of homebuyer — as a way to strategize and connect with prospects. The Opportunist These buyers are spontaneous and excited about the homebuying process — it might be a neighborhood, a promotion, or even a single listing that's caught their attention, but they've found something that means the time is right to purchase a new property. The Opportunist is doing their own thing. They aren't being led by logic and might not even have a fully realized plan. When looking to connect with The Opportunist, making a first impression is key. You'll want to demonstrate the immediate benefits of your services using clear, simple, and direct messaging. Often, guarantees and warranties can work to reassure these buyers, and countdowns or limited-time-only offers can go a long way toward creating a sense of urgency that you can both share. The Enterpriser The Enterpriser is a competitive buyer — a high-achiever who expects efficiency and effective presentation from the professionals and properties they're associated with. These buyers often begin their search looking for businesses or agents that demonstrate a high level of achievement in their market. They'll want to see if your own growth and success fits well with theirs. The Enterpriser wants to see the work you've done in the past — and how your business differs from your competitors. The Romantic These prospective buyers are invested in the narrative of their homebuying experience. Whether they have set expectations around buying their first home or are feeling nostalgia for the homes they've purchased in the past, The Romantic responds well to stories. When it comes to connecting with The Romantic, you can always rely on testimonials that show the part you played in the homebuying experience of others. Even better, if you can offer a look behind the curtain — a glimpse into your philosophy, your business, your self — it offers The Romantic an idea of how you'll fit into the story they're trying to write for themselves. Authenticity and thoughtful gestures go a long way with these buyers — and ensure that if and when they are looking for their next home, they can't imagine the process without your help. The Nitpicker The Nitpicker has high standards and expectations for the homebuying process. They may not be certain of exactly what they want from both their prospective property and the process it takes to get from contact to contract to close, but they know exactly what they don't want — and will usually tell you. It may feel like you have your work cut out for you with the Nitpicker. But there are advantages to working with any buyer, as well as disadvantages — The Nitpicker is confident and invested in the process, and while they might be meticulous about what you've said to them throughout their home search, it means they're listening to your guidance. It's important to ensure that you speak deliberately to The Nitpicker — big promises and boasting are going to hurt you more than help you when it comes to these buyers. And just remember — if you ever feel like it's impossible meet The Nitpicker's standards, it might be that case that it is impossible. The Soloist Right there with The Nitpicker is The Soloist — this buyer does not want your help. They're savvy and certain and used to sorting things out on their own. They might end up reaching out on the advice of someone close to them who has been through the homebuying process, or maybe they've hit a bump in the road they're struggling to overcome, but it's likely that it wasn't their first thought to find an agent. When you're trying to connect with The Soloist, it's important to rely on facts and figures that more or less speak for themselves — the numbers that show your skill and superiority as an agent. If you have a way to demonstrate to clients that you have information that's useful — and that they couldn't access on their own — you should. Any evidence you have of why you're worth working with will help soothe The Soloist's urge to ditch you and do it themselves. The odds are that you see all of these buyers, and more — and the odds are even better that you see buyers that don't fit strictly into one single category. To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.

Creating an Unforgettable Brand: Building trust in the real estate industry
Word of mouth and loyalty are crucial for success in the real estate industry, and these both rely on one fundamental aspect: trust. Trust drives referrals and repeat business, making it essential for building a strong and unforgettable brand in real estate. Let's explore the key elements of trustworthiness, the benefits of a trustworthy brand and actionable steps to build trust in your real estate brand. Key elements of trustworthiness To build trust in your real estate brand, it's important to understand the key elements of trustworthiness. These elements include reliability, credibility, authenticity, dependability, honesty, transparency and expertise. While these concepts may seem intuitive, implementing practical trust-building strategies can be challenging. Benefits of a trustworthy real estate brand A trustworthy real estate brand offers various benefits. Increase loyalty and repeat business: It fosters increased loyalty and repeat business from clients who have confidence in your brand. Positive word-of-mouth: Satisfied clients are more likely to spread positive word-of-mouth referrals, expanding your customer base organically. Your competitive advantage: A trustworthy brand gives you a competitive advantage in the market, as savvy buyers often research and choose brands (AKA, partners) they perceive as trustworthy. How to build a trustworthy brand Building a trustworthy real estate brand requires careful planning, consistent execution and a focus on delivering great value and experiences to your clients. Seven steps to help you build trust in your real estate brand: Consistently provide outstanding service: Prioritize delivering the best service possible to your clients. This should be the foundation of your brand, as it builds trust and loyalty (not to mention referrals). Share your story: Your brand is more than a name and logo. Share your story, including your company's history, values, motivations, successes and failures. This personal touch helps establish an emotional connection with your prospective audience. Build social proof: Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews and testimonials. Positive reviews and testimonials act as social proof, showcasing the trustworthiness of your brand to potential clients. Emphasize transparency: Be open and transparent with your clients about your processes, fees and any potential conflicts of interest. This transparency builds trust and fosters long-term relationships. Showcase expertise and knowledge: Position yourself as an industry expert by consistently sharing valuable and informative content through blog posts, social media and other platforms. This establishes your credibility and builds trust with potential clients. Engage with your audience: Interact and engage with your audience through social media, blog comments and email newsletters. Respond promptly to inquiries and provide personalized attention to build trust and nurture relationships. Utilize iGUIDE: Provide assets that impress clients and showcase your expertise. With iGUIDE, your 3D virtual tours with digital floor plans will create repeat, referable business. Following these actionable steps, you can build a trustworthy real estate brand that stands out in the industry. Trust takes time to develop, but once established, it becomes the foundation of a successful and unforgettable brand. If you want to add expertise and technology to your toolbelt, you can learn more about iGUIDE by booking a complimentary virtual demo. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog.   Thank you to iGuide for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

The Top Housing Markets of 2024, Per Realtor.com
Home affordability has become a big problem in 2023, as buyers have grappled with high mortgage rates, high sales prices, and low inventory. There could be some relief around the corner, according to new data from Realtor.com; the company released its forecasted list of the top housing markets in the country that are "poised to see the strongest combined increase in home sales and listing prices in the coming year." In other words, they're good places to be working in real estate! Five of the top ten markets are in California. To conduct the analysis, Realtor.com examined forecasted 2024 existing home sales compared to 2023, forecasted 2024 existing home sales compared to averages in years 2017 through 2019, forecasted 2024 existing home sales median sales price compared to 2023, forecasted 2024 existing home sales median sales price compared to averages in years 2017 through 2019, and combined forecasted 2024 existing home sales and price growth. The Top Markets for Real Estate in 2024 So where will agents see opportunities to thrive in 2024? Here are the top forecasted markets for next year, according to the real estate data giant. 1. Toledo, Ohio November 2023 median home price: $200,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +14.0% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +8.3% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +22.3% 2. Oxnard et al, Calif. November 2023 median home price: $1,037,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +18.0% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +3.3% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +21.3% 3. Rochester, NY November 2023 median home price: $239,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +6.2% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +10.4% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +16.6% 4. San Diego et al, Calif. November 2023 median home price: $995,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +11.0% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +5.4% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +16.3% 5. Riverside, et al Calif. November 2023 median home price: $585,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +13.8% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +2.0% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +15.8% 6. Bakersfield, Calif. November 2023 median home price: $385,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +13.4% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +2.3% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +15.7% 7. Springfield, Mass. November 2023 median home price: $350,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +10.5% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +4.2% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +14.7% 8. Worcester, Mass.-Conn. November 2023 median home price: $475,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +9.1% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +4.8% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +13.9% 9. Grand Rapids et al, Mich. November 2023 median home price: $390,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +6.1% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +7.2% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +13.3% 10. Los Angeles et al, Calif. November 2023 median home price: $1,150,000 Forecasted 2024 home sales change: +9.2% Forecasted 2024 home price change: +3.5% Forecasted 2024 combined sales and price change: +12.7 Related reading Realtor.com 2024 Housing Forecast: Housing Affordability Finally Begins to Turnaround Home Trends: What's In (and Out) for 2024 What Are 2023's Top Housing Markets?

Real AI: Fannie Mae embraces CV, Claude.ai gets better, AI facts and top headlines
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. Fannie Mae embraces computer vision Craig Rowe at Inman News did a solid job with his recent piece on Fannie Mae embracing AI and computer vision or CV. It's important because when Fannie Mae makes a move, the mortgage industry follows. In June, Fannie Mae announced the use of "image recognition" to detect incorrect quality and condition ratings. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require appraisal reports to include interior and exterior photos for funded properties. However, the GSEs only require one exterior front photo for each comparable. Fannie's turned to computer vision for condition validation. It's a big swing but one Fannie backs up with research and data to justify. Having worked at Fannie Mae as the Director of its Seattle Affordable Housing Partnership Office in the 1990s, I know first-hand that Fannie doesn't make any major move without dissecting it from every angle. In fact, Fannie analyzed more than a million appraisals using image recognition technology to compare appraisal reports to interior photos of comparables to determine condition ratings. What Fannie discovered was that computer vision technology was able to identify appraisal defects with 98% accuracy. More importantly, the discovered CV found "many defects that were previously impossible" for it to detect. That translates into incorrect condition ratings leading to missing or faulty adjustments to comparable sales, resulting in unsupported, inaccurate appraisals. With the GSE moves, mortgage lenders and appraisal firms are looking to CV for GSE compliance. Real estate's computer vision leader, Restb.ai, is already offering mortgage originators and appraisal management companies (AMCs) a GSE-compliant image validation solution with its computer vision technology. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Finally, what most people don't realize is Fannie Mae is a technology company. It has been for the last couple of decades. The majority of its ~8,000 employees work in its technology group. As it moves to solidify AI in real estate, the industry will follow. This is just the beginning. Claude.ai is getting better – much better When we first used Claude.ai, it quickly became our No. 2 choice. But it was a distant second to ChatGPT-4. It has closed that gap. We'll dive deeper into Claude vs. ChatGPT in a future issue, but there are some things that Claude does better than ChatGPT and vice-versa. One example, for now at least: Claude can consume a much larger word count of content and is wickedly good at summarizing that content. The betterment of Claude is so striking we signed up for the Pro version – the same price as ChatGPT at $20 a month plus tax. We can see why Google recently invested $2 billion more in this AI tech! AI Five Fast Facts The market size of artificial intelligence is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.3% between 2023 to 2030. About 97 million individuals will be working in the AI space by 2025. AI is considered a top priority in business plans by 85% of companies. Globally, 38% of consumers prefer to utilize chatbots. 47% of enterprises have established AI strategies for smartphones. Source: What's the big data AI Headlines Take 5 1. Has Great Potential! Meet Your A.I. Realtor | The New Yorker - 11/27/23The Maya Chatbot uses real estate data to answer home buying questions. 2. Generative AI can change real estate, but the industry must change to reap the benefits | McKinsey & Company - 11/14/23A fantastic deep dive into how multiple real estate sectors can benefit from AI. 3. PropTech Today – Balancing AI innovation with the human touch | EstateAgentToday - 11/29/23Remember "high-tech, high touch?" Rinse and repeat. 4. AI brings transparency to farmland values | Successful Farming - 11/27/23An ag real estate agent in Iowa uses AI to improve farmland valuations. 5. How AI can address the skills gap in CRE | Altus Group - 11/29/23Commercial real estate is looking for new ways to leverage AI. Quote of the week To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Brian Buffini's Bold Predictions: 2024 Real Estate Market Outlook
Monday, December 11, 2023 at 10:00 AM PST Stay ahead of the curve in real estate's ever-changing market. Join Brian Buffini and NAR's Dr. Lawrence Yun to discover: The State of the Market – The real scoop on the economy, and what it means for those of us working in real estate. The State of the Industry – Detailed and insightful updates on the real estate industry from legendary NAR economist, Dr. Lawrence Yun. Do It N.O.W. – No chaos! Own the listings! Win market share! Brian will share the top reasons people want to sell – and how you can connect and help them move. Rates will fall…and the market will heat up. Discover how you can be the trusted guide for the largest group of home buyers in real estate history. Join thousands of professionals 11 for the most anticipated broadcast in the real estate industry – we can't wait to see you! Featuring Special Guest: NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun Register now!

8 Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads on a Budget
There are many ways to get clients. But no matter where you are in the process of building your business, it's always good to have a few extra tricks up your sleeve for generating real estate leads on a budget. Sometimes, you need these strategies because your marketing budget just isn't as robust as you'd like. But even in flush times, it's good to get leads for less, because the savings ultimately strengthens your bottom line. As you continue to build out your lead-generation toolbox, consider these eight ideas you can employ right away, without spending much (if any) money. 1. Start with your social sphere Your social sphere is a goldmine of potential clients who already have a level of trust and familiarity with you. Of course, it's critical to take a soft approach. Never push friends, family, or even acquaintances into doing business with you, and you never want to sacrifice a relationship for a transaction. Instead, stay attuned to the real estate needs of the people you know. Work to understand their aspirations and pain points, then use these insights to offer solutions. Over time, people will learn they can come to you for help with real estate matters. In all likelihood, some of them will turn to you when they are ready to buy or sell a home. 2. Build your social media presence For many people, using social media to generate real estate leads feels intimidating, because consistently producing content can be a challenge. The good news is that you don't have to make all that many posts to get leads. Start by engaging with other people's posts. Join Facebook groups and visit Reddit boards geared toward homebuyers. When people on these boards ask real estate questions, offer your expertise. Share relevant real estate insights, and occasionally promote your listings. This balanced approach enhances your visibility and positions you as a knowledgeable and approachable agent. Once you're ready to start creating your own content, you'll have a solid network of social media contacts who might be willing to share your posts and help increase your reach. The most important thing to remember about social media is that providing value is paramount. Post content like market updates, home maintenance tips, and resource lists. These resources don't have to be strictly related to real estate, either. Anything that could help a potential homebuyer, such as down payment assistance, is a value-add to your potential clients. Offering this sort of value not only informs and helps your potential clients, it also subtly reminds them of your expertise and services. That way, you're top-of-mind when real estate needs arise. 3. Take advantage of agent-to-agent referrals This sounds counterintuitive, but referring leads to fellow real estate agents is a great way to get leads yourself. If a client approaches you with needs that are outside your expertise, service area, or current bandwidth, it's more valuable in the long run if you refer them to a fellow Realtor rather than delivering subpar service. This strategic move underscores your dedication to serving the client's best interest. The client, as well as the Realtor who receives the referral, will remember it. This strategy rarely generates leads in the short term, but agents with complementary specializations will eventually return the favor, and you'll get more business in the long run. 4. Embrace cold calling Any good lead-generation strategy is a careful blend of multiple tactics, and cold calling typically takes a back seat to other, more modern tactics. However, cold calling is still an economical and effective option, especially if you are operating on a limited marketing budget. Cold calling is a simple way to target specific demographics, neighborhoods, or property types without learning any new technologies or tools. It's a straightforward way to contact potential leads that align with your real estate portfolio and expertise. Have a strategy with your cold calling, and be sure to offer some value to the person on the other end. With minimal investment in a good calling plan, and possibly CRM software, you can reach a wide audience and build a consistent stream of leads. 5. Maintain a healthy blog Similar to cold calling, some people believe blogs have been replaced by more modern digital marketing tools. But blogs are still a great way to generate a consistent stream of inbound leads. Your blog is more than a mere collection of articles. It's a dynamic tool that showcases your expertise and offers value to potential clients. Additionally, just like cold calling, a blog requires very little financial investment. You don't even have to produce a large amount of content, as long as you produce content consistently. If you post a new blog article once a week, or even once every two weeks, over time you'll have a good stockpile of articles that attract leads. Additionally, your incoming leads will likely come with fewer basic questions, because they already got answers from your blog. 6. Work with real estate investors There are over three million real estate licensees in the United States, but a relatively small portion of these agents market their services to real estate investors. For starters, this means you'll have less competition. Additionally, investors are in the business of buying and selling properties consistently. Unlike residential buyers, their need for real estate is continuous, which gives you a steady stream of transactions and, therefore, commissions. Even more, investors typically have a wider network compared to residential buyers. Once you've closed a few investment deals, satisfied investors are likely to refer you within their network, opening doors to new clients. Since investors often collaborate with one another, a single recommendation can significantly bolster your credibility and start a flood of incoming referral leads. 7. Mine FSBO listings for primed leads For-sale-by-owner (FSBO) listings can offer a wealth of leads, as long as you take the right approach. If an FSBO listing has been up for a long time, or expired without producing a sale, the seller is likely willing to accept some help. Once the seller gets to this point, a good tactic is to start by offering advice, or even a few free services. The seller started with an FSBO listing in the first place because they wanted to avoid the Realtor commission. They may not appreciate it if you begin your contact by offering to be their agent. At worst, the listing sells well after you offer your advice, the seller has your contact information, and they might come to you if they need real estate help in the future. Or they might refer you to someone they know. At best, the seller realizes they are in over their head and you get the opportunity to make a sale that generates a commission. Either way, FSBO listings are an easy way to find people who have a property to sell and need professional help selling it. There's very little downside in reaching out and offering help. 8. Use personal outreach to get value from your contact list As you develop your business, you'll build up a substantial contact list. Your contact list is a huge asset. Don't underestimate the value of personalized communication. Take advantage of any opportunity to stay in touch with people. Reach out with birthday wishes, congratulate them on significant life events (social media is a great way to see when these events happen), or simply check in periodically. These gestures, though small, fortify your relationships, making it more likely for them to consider or refer you when real estate needs surface. Go forth and get leads for less Generating leads without spending a lot of money will never go out of style. If you master even just a few of these lead-generation tactics, you'll have tools in your toolbox that will carry you through whatever the housing market throws at you. So pick up your phone, hop on social media, or grab your keyboard, and get out there to pick up more leads. To view the original article, visit the Wise Agent blog.

What Was the Biggest Buyer Pain Point in 2023?
Saving up for a down payment, getting a mortgage, the nail-biting tension of the property appraisal: All of these items remain pain points for buyers in 2023, according to the most recent National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. But the biggest source of stress for homebuyers hasn't changed over the years. Finding the right property remains the biggest pain point for most buyers: 59% said that finding a home they loved was the hardest part of the process. According to the report, buyers spent a median of 10 weeks looking for a home, more than the median of eight weeks in 2020 and 2021. Buyers still spend about two weeks looking for a home before they contact an agent. Where did they finally find the home that they bid on and bought? Most buyers are finding their house on the internet, although more than one-quarter said they found their house through their real estate agent. Here's how the home search sources broke down: 52% of buyers found their home online 28% of buyers found their home through their real estate agent 8% of buyers found their home through a friend, relative, or neighbor 6% of buyers found their home through a home builder or builder's agent 4% of buyers found their home through a yard sign or open house sign 3% of buyers found their home directly through the sellers The internet has become increasingly critical for buyers in their real estate search. While the percentage of buyers who use the internet in the home search process has hovered in the high 90th percentiles for several years, in 2023, 100% of buyers surveyed said that they used the internet in their home search process. Buyers split their time about 50/50 between desktop and mobile devices. What does this mean for agents? If you don't have an online presence already, then it's past time to establish one. Buyers are spending two weeks looking at homes online before they start seriously considering which agent to hire. A strong website with elements that buyers value highly (such as photos, detailed information about properties for sale, floor plans, virtual tours, and more) can help elevate your online presence and increase your leads without having to spend four figures at a portal. Don't have a website set up yet? Our database of platforms and providers can help you get started today. More in recent research How Are Buyers and Sellers Finding Agents in 2023? NAR Releases 2023 Member Profile Majority of Realtors Find Value in Promoting Energy Efficiency in Listings, Says NAR

Those Darn DPAs!
Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 10:00 AM PST Down payment programs are alive and well across the country, and demand for them is at a record high. So, why do so many loan officers and real estate agents still balk at taking advantage of these opportunities for their buyers? Join us as we take a look at some common obstacles — real or perceived — and how to overcome them. Register now!

The Best SEO Tools for Real Estate Websites
In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for real estate agents. With the majority of home buyers and sellers starting their search online, real estate agents need to have a website that is not only visually appealing but also easily discoverable by search engines. By implementing effective SEO strategies, real estate agents can increase their website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). This means that when potential clients search for keywords related to real estate in their area, the agent's website will appear higher in the search results, increasing the chances of attracting organic traffic. SEO not only helps in increasing the visibility of a real estate website but also improves the overall user experience. By optimizing the website's structure, content, and navigation, agents can ensure that visitors can easily find the information they are looking for, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates. Doing SEO without getting help from tools is not possible. Tools are essential in real estate SEO, so in this article, we will introduce you to the best real estate SEO tools in 2023-2024. Before jumping into the tools, it's better to have knowledge about the SEO tools, what they are, and why we need them. What Are SEO tools? The real estate industry is highly competitive, and it's more important than ever for real estate websites to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is where SEO (search engine optimization) comes in. SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in SERPs for relevant keywords. There are several SEO tools available that can help real estate businesses improve their website's ranking and visibility. These tools can help you with tasks such as: Keyword research: Identifying the right keywords to target for your website On-page optimization: Optimizing your website's content and structure for search engines Technical SEO: Fixing any technical issues with your website that could be preventing it from ranking well Link building: Building backlinks to your website from other high-quality websites In the following sections, we will explore some of the best SEO tools that real estate agents or real estate SEO experts should know about and how they can be used to enhance the website's online presence. Keyword research tools for real estate agents Keyword research is a critical component of SEO. By identifying the right keywords to target, real estate agents can optimize their website's content to attract organic traffic. Here are some top keyword research tools that can help real estate agents find the most relevant keywords for their business. Google Keyword Planner: This free tool from Google allows real estate agents to discover keyword ideas, search volumes, and competition levels. It provides valuable insights into popular keywords related to real estate and helps agents choose the most appropriate keywords to target. SEMrush: SEMrush is a comprehensive SEO tool that offers a variety of features, including keyword research. Real estate agents can use SEMrush to find profitable keywords, analyze their competitors' keywords, and track keyword rankings over time. Ahrefs: Ahrefs is another powerful SEO tool that provides keyword research capabilities. Real estate agents can use Ahrefs to explore keyword ideas, analyze keyword difficulty, and uncover new keyword opportunities. By leveraging these keyword research tools, real estate agents can identify the keywords that potential clients are using to search for properties in their area. This knowledge can then be used to optimize website content and attract more organic traffic. On-page optimization tools for real estate websites On-page optimization refers to the process of optimizing a website's content and structure for search engines. By optimizing on-page elements, real estate agents can improve their website's visibility in search engine results and provide a better user experience. Here are some essential on-page optimization tools for real estate websites. Yoast SEO: Yoast SEO is a popular WordPress plugin that helps real estate agents optimize their website's on-page elements. It provides real-time feedback and suggestions for improving content readability, keyword usage, meta tags, and more. Moz On-Page Grader: Moz On-Page Grader is a tool that analyzes a webpage and provides a detailed report on its on-page optimization. Real estate agents can use this tool to identify areas for improvement and optimize their websites accordingly. Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog is a website crawler that helps real estate agents identify technical issues that may be affecting their website's on-page optimization. It crawls the website and provides a comprehensive report on issues such as broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta tags. By utilizing these on-page optimization tools, real estate agents can ensure that their website's content is highly relevant to search queries and is optimized to rank well in search engine results. SEO analytics tools for tracking website performance Tracking website performance is crucial for real estate agents to gauge the effectiveness of their SEO efforts. By analyzing key metrics, such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, and engagement rates, agents can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions. Here are some top SEO analytics tools for real estate agents. Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a free tool that provides comprehensive insights into website performance. Real estate agents can track organic traffic, user behavior, conversion rates, and more. It also offers valuable demographic and geographic data that can help agents understand their target audience better. Google Search Console: Google Search Console is a free tool that helps real estate agents monitor and maintain their website's presence in Google search results. It provides information on keyword rankings, website errors, and indexing status. Ahrefs and SEMrush: In addition to its keyword research capabilities, Ahrefs and SEMrush also offer powerful analytics features. Real estate agents can use these tools to track keyword rankings, analyze competitors' websites, and monitor changes in search engine visibility over time. By regularly monitoring website performance using these analytics tools, real estate agents can identify trends, measure the impact of their SEO strategies, and make data-driven decisions to improve their website's visibility and performance. Local SEO tools for targeting specific geographic areas For real estate agents, targeting specific geographic areas is essential. Local SEO tools can help agents optimize their websites for local searches and attract potential clients in their target market. Here are some top local SEO tools for real estate agents. Google My Business: Google My Business is a free tool that allows real estate agents to create and manage their business listings on Google. By optimizing their Google My Business profile, agents can increase their visibility in local search results, showcase their listings, and engage with potential clients. Moz Local: Moz Local is a tool that helps real estate agents manage their online presence across various directories and platforms. It ensures that business information, such as name, address, and phone number, is accurate and consistent across the web, improving local search rankings. BrightLocal: BrightLocal is a comprehensive local SEO tool that offers a range of features, including local citation management, online review monitoring, and local rank tracking. Real estate agents can use BrightLocal to optimize their online presence and improve their website's visibility in local search results. By utilizing these local SEO tools, real estate agents can effectively target potential clients in their specific geographic areas and increase their chances of attracting local leads. Backlink analysis tools for improving website authority Building high-quality backlinks is an essential aspect of SEO. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website and are considered a vote of confidence by search engines. By analyzing and improving backlink profiles, real estate agents can enhance their website's authority and improve search engine rankings. Here are some top backlink analysis tools for real estate agents. Ahrefs: Ahrefs offers a comprehensive backlink analysis feature that allows real estate agents to analyze their backlink profiles, monitor competitors' backlinks, and identify new link-building opportunities. Moz Link Explorer: Moz Link Explorer provides valuable insights into a website's backlink profile. Real estate agents can use this tool to analyze the quality and quantity of their backlinks, identify potential toxic links, and track their link-building progress over time. SEMrush: SEMrush also offers a backlink analysis feature that helps real estate agents analyze their backlink profiles and identify link-building opportunities. It provides detailed information on referring domains, anchor texts, and more. By leveraging these backlink analysis tools, real estate agents can identify high-quality websites for potential collaborations, and outreach opportunities, and improve their website's overall authority. SEO reporting tools for monitoring progress and ROI Monitoring progress and ROI is crucial for real estate agents to evaluate the success of their SEO strategies. SEO reporting tools provide valuable insights and data that can help agents track key metrics, generate reports, and showcase the impact of their SEO efforts. Here are some top SEO reporting tools for real estate agents. Google Data Studio: Google Data Studio is a free tool that allows real estate agents to create interactive and customizable reports. It integrates with various data sources, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and more, making it easy to track and visualize key metrics. SEMrush: SEMrush offers a reporting feature that allows real estate agents to generate professional-looking SEO reports. The reports can be customized to include metrics such as keyword rankings, organic traffic, backlink profiles, and more. Moz: Moz provides a reporting feature that enables real estate agents to create detailed reports on their website's SEO performance. The reports can be customized to include metrics such as domain authority, page authority, keyword rankings, and more. By using these SEO reporting tools, real estate agents can effectively measure the success of their SEO strategies, track key metrics, and showcase the ROI of their efforts to clients and stakeholders. WordPress SEO Tools for Real Estate Websites WordPress is an excellent option for real estate websites as it is the most widely used content management system (CMS) globally. Additionally, there are numerous WordPress SEO tools that can assist in enhancing your website's ranking on search engine results pages, here are some of the important WordPress plugins that can help you through your SEO process: WP Rocket: WP Rocket is a caching plugin that can help improve your website's speed and performance. This is important for SEO because Google ranks faster websites higher in SERPs. Rank Math: Rank Math is a comprehensive SEO plugin that can help you with everything from keyword research to on-page optimization. It also includes features specifically for real estate websites, such as schema markup and integration with MLS listings. Yoast SEO: Yoast SEO is another popular SEO plugin that offers a wide range of features. It's a good choice for beginners because it's easy to use and includes helpful tutorials. Realtyna WPL: Realtyna WPL is a real estate plugin that offers a variety of SEO features, such as keyword optimization, meta tag management, and XML sitemap generation. It also integrates with MLS listings, so you can easily add listings to your website and keep them updated. Case studies: How real estate agents have used SEO tools to boost their online presence To provide real estate agents with practical insights and inspiration, let's explore a couple of case studies on how real estate agents have used SEO tools to enhance their online presence. Case Study 1: Agent A Agent A, a real estate agent in a highly competitive market, used keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs to identify high-volume and low-competition keywords. By strategically optimizing their website's content for these keywords, Agent A was able to improve their website's search engine rankings significantly. They also used Moz On-Page Grader to ensure that their website's on-page elements were well-optimized. As a result of their SEO efforts, Agent A's website saw a significant increase in organic traffic, with a higher number of qualified leads. The improved visibility also led to increased brand recognition and credibility in the market. Case Study 2: Agent B Agent B, a local real estate agent, utilized local SEO tools such as Google My Business and BrightLocal to optimize their online presence in their target area. They created a Google My Business profile with accurate and up-to-date information, showcasing their listings and engaging with potential clients. Agent B also used BrightLocal's citation management feature to ensure consistent business information across various directories. By leveraging these local SEO tools, Agent B's website experienced an increase in visibility in local search results, resulting in a higher number of inquiries and conversions. Their improved online presence also helped them establish themselves as a trusted local real estate agent. These case studies demonstrate the power of SEO tools in enhancing the online presence of real estate agents and driving tangible results. Conclusion: Choosing the right SEO tools for your real estate business In order to choose the right SEO tools for your website, it's very important to know your SEO strategy. If you are not aware of your online strategy, it's going to be really hard to choose your tools. Most of the tools we mentioned in the article have two free and paid versions. In some cases, downloading and installing the free version might be helpful and there is no need to buy the pro versions, but in some other advanced cases, you need to buy the pro version of these tools. Remember: buying tools alone will not help your business grow in search results. You will need to understand how tools and search engines work in order to improve your performance: Sitemap for real estate websites Robots.txt for real estate websites To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Real AI: Unlocking real estate data, ChatGPT for real estate intel, 5 facts and AI headlines
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. Using AI to unlock real estate data Content creation continues to dominate how real estate professionals use AI. AI helps agents create better blogs, website content, flyers, social posts, listing descriptions, property photos, marketing ideas, business plans, video scripts, and more. Using AI to perfect content has become part of many real estate agents' workflow in one way or another. That's not going to change, but in fact, it will accelerate. However, while AI for content is huge, another AI use will have a far more significant impact on agent business today and tomorrow. It's still in its infancy, but using the power of all things AI to unlock real estate data will be massive and could completely alter how agents secure new business. AI lead gen A lot of early use of AI in real estate was lead gen related, then described as predictive analytics. Now, dozens of real estate proptech firms and top brokerages are using AI to identify who in your sphere of influence are most "likely to sell" and "likely to buy." Buyside, now Percy, was an early entry into this space. In June, tech-centric Compass integrated machine learning into its CRM to flag for its agents and clients who are "likely to sell." Localize uses an AI chatbot (Hunter) that engages leads and then alerts agent users when clients are ready to house hunt. All-in-one CRM-centric platforms like Delta Media's DeltaNET 7 are building in behavior tracking tools, leveling the playing field by making AI-powered tech more accessible to more agents. But all these efforts are still scratching the surface because machine learning will help all this tech get better and better. Once we identify why one person buys, it's easy to extrapolate to identify others not in our sphere nearby who are also likely to buy or sell. Much like the story Brad Inman told in 2016 about how Google was rending baby-related ads to his daughter before she found out she was pregnant, AI will empower agents to know when clients will buy or sell before their clients have fully embraced the idea. Vital to using this new tech is finding a way to eliminate what I call the LendingTree problem. When I first tested LendingTree in its early days, I input my data, and in minutes, I was deluged with mortgage lenders pitching me their business. It was a massive, overwhelming, horrible customer experience I would never repeat. If AI delivers to everyone with the same predictive analytics, what is the experience of the seller who is about to buy if they are overloaded with agent inquiries? Data-centric AI for advanced analytics On the bright side, one untapped superpower for real estate is AI's ability to take in disparate data, organize it, summarize it, and then recommend strategic courses of action. Real estate data is sprawling and often siloed, from market trends and demographic characteristics to what real estate clients have purchased and other client information. Data-centric AI thrives by rapidly consuming these diverse data sets and creating a cohesive 360-degree view of the market and your clients. The true power of AI lies in its ability to distill vast amounts of data into actionable insights. By summarizing complex data, AI can provide real estate professionals at every level with clear, strategic recommendations that can drive growth and innovation. More importantly, AI will help real estate pros identify trends early by analyzing patterns and predicting how the market will move, helping to make the right pivots ahead of the curve instead of behind it. Using ChatGPT 4 for real estate intelligence Most people don't realize it, but ChatGPT-4 can read PDFs and Excel files. It also can analyze and provide data from images. This is a window into tapping into advanced analytics, as ChatGPT is excellent at summarizing information. If you give it the proper prompts, it can create strategic recommendations based on this intelligence and provide other analyses, including charts and graphs. While the ChatGPT-4 interface itself does not directly interpret trends from data within PDFs or Excel files, it can use Python and its powerful libraries for data analysis. Employing Pandas and Matplotlib can help decode trends from the data contained in these files. ChatGPT explains here how it works: PDF Files: If you upload a PDF, ChatGPT can extract the text using Python's PDF libraries like PyPDF2 or PDFMiner. If the PDF contains data in a structured form, like tables, it can attempt to parse that data into a format suitable for analysis. Excel Files: If you upload an Excel file, ChatGPT can use Pandas to read the data and put it into a DataFrame. From there, it can perform various analyses to identify trends, including summary statistics, correlation analysis, and visualizations. Data Visualization: Once the data is extracted and structured, ChatGPT can create charts and graphs to visualize the trends using libraries like Matplotlib or Seaborn. You need to upload the PDF or Excel files to ChatGPT and ask it to write and execute Python code to analyze the data. Finally, ChatGPT warns that the effectiveness of trend analysis depends on the quality and structure of the data provided. Or, garbage in, garbage out. If this sounds ridiculously hard for most real estate pros, it probably is. However, there's a ChatGPT plugin or proptech firm ready to simplify this kind of invaluable real estate business intelligence, likely coming soon to an inbox near you. AI Five Fast Facts By 2025, AI might eliminate 85 million jobs but create 97 million new ones: that's a net gain of 12 million jobs. Nine out of 10 leading businesses have invested in AI technologies, but only 14.6% have deployed AI capabilities in their operations. Over 85% of AI users use the technology for article writing and content creation. More than two-thirds of modern consumers are open to AI enhancing customer engagement. 62% of voice search users prefer companies that offer a voice-activated AI assistant. Sources: Various as reported by Authority Hacker. AI Headlines Take 5 1. 6 ways real estate agents can use AI to become the ultimate authority | 11/21/23 - HousingWireHow AI can help agents set themselves apart from their competition. 2. Predictive AI tools to consider in 2023 | 6/5/23 - Boston Agent MagazineA look at how predictive AI tools can help real estate agents. 3. The Tech Trends That Will Shape the World in 2024 | 11/21/23 - TechnopediaGenerative AI is the key trend potentially reshaping how we play and work. 4. Differentiating AI Applications in the Mortgage Space | 11/20/23 - MReportHow generative AI will impact the mortgage industry (which overall is a lagger in deploying AI). 5. Scammers using artificial intelligence and social media to target holiday shoppers | 11/21/23 - CBSThe downside of AI: 'Tis the season for bad actors and it's more difficult to spot when you are being scammed.' Quote of the week To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Recapping NAR NXT 2023: Key takeaways and helpful highlights
This month, the National Association of REALTORS® hosted its annual NAR NXT conference in Anaheim, California. In attendance were over 12,000 agents, corporate employees, and other real estate professionals from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 61 countries. REALTORS® were invited all week long to "Own the Moment" with networking events, governance meetings, advisory boards, sessions, keynote speeches, and much more. These are just a few highlights that stuck out to us. The role of artificial intelligence in real estate In a topic near and dear to us, two sessions focused on the convergence of technology and real estate. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are still being used in the industry to automate tasks, provide informed insights, and personalize the real estate experience for consumers. Four companies shared how they use automation and AI to reshape their marketing and related operations. For example, AI-powered chatbots can answer questions about properties and neighborhoods via text messaging, while ML algorithms can be used to predict home prices and identify potential buyers. The takeaway for agents: Embrace AI, and don't fear it. AI can help you handle content creation, prospects, and other daily tasks, so you can focus on what matters most—your clients. AI will never replace you or your job. Rather, it's here to empower you to work faster and smarter, all while impressing your clients with a smooth real estate experience. And most importantly? Relationship building is still the most important piece of running your business, and AI or ML can never replace that. Real estate's future: Looking at the numbers in 2024 It's no surprise that the real estate market has not been normal in several years. But the good news is that 2024 looks to be getting closer. As NAR Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, summarized in his presentation, making predictions based on past market behavior is not entirely reliable, but there are some takeaways that are painting a bit more of a clearer picture in 2024. In short: The housing market is expected to remain strong in 2024, with moderate price growth and mortgage rates falling under 7% in time for the spring season. Mortgage rates are expected to remain low in 2024, with gradual increases in the long term. Existing home sales are expected to increase 13% in 2024, with new home construction expected to rise 19%. Inflation is expected to remain high in the short term, but moderate in the long term. Keynote speakers focused on resilience Other keynote speakers not directly associated in the real estate industry also made a splash throughout the week to inspire and motivate NAR NXT attendees. A few included: Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) | The first woman USAF Thunderbird pilot Nicole Malachowski discussed leadership and how to overcome failures. She related her experiences piloting to how you can overcome challenges and perform with the highest level of excellence—while remaining trustworthy to your clients. Speaking of trust, some of the maneuvers she took part in were just three feet away from other aircraft! Mindy Kaling | Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and actor The general session kicked off with a fireside chat between NAR Vice President of Association Affairs, Jennifer Wauhob, and Mindy Kaling, who shared stories across her expansive career and how she remained resilient and overcame many obstacles to land where she is now. Kurt Warner | Former Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, broadcaster, and philanthropist The closing general session with Kurt Warner and the 2023 Vice President of Advocacy, inspired attendees as Kurt shared his incredible journey of overcoming adversity and achieving success on and off the football field. His journey of resilience, leadership, and the power of faith propelled him to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history—all values that you can take away in your own real estate journey. Additional themes from NAR NXT Other themes throughout the week were consistent with what we have seen in the market in the past few years. The importance of building relationships. Real estate is a relationship business, and it is important for real estate professionals to build strong relationships with your clients, colleagues, and partners. The need for continuous learning. Real estate is constantly evolving, so it is important for you to stay up to date on the latest trends and technologies. The importance of giving back to the community. Many real estate professionals are involved in their communities, volunteering their time and resources to make a difference. Once again, NAR NXT 2023 was a valuable opportunity for real estate professionals and companies to come together to learn about the latest trends and technologies, connect with colleagues, and build relationships. As we head into the next year, we're excited to introduce you to the next generation of technology and hope to see you there next year! To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.

How Real Estate Agents Can Build a Professional Network on LinkedIn
In today's digital age, social media has become an indispensable tool for professionals looking to expand their networks and grow their businesses. While platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can certainly play a role in this endeavor, we're going to focus on the gold standard of professional networking: LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the go-to platform for building a robust professional network, and real estate agents can benefit immensely from leveraging its unique features and opportunities. In this post, we'll explore how real estate agents can harness the power of LinkedIn to forge valuable connections, strengthen their brand, and ultimately boost their success in the competitive world of real estate. The Power of LinkedIn for Real Estate Agents LinkedIn is a place specifically created for professionals to connect, share knowledge, and investigate career opportunities. It is not just another social media platform. An ideal venue for networking in the sector, it has over 774 million users worldwide, including a sizable community of real estate professionals. Creating a Strong Profile Your LinkedIn profile is your digital business card, and it's crucial to make a stellar first impression. Create a compelling headline that briefly describes your position as a real estate agent after uploading a professional headshot. Use the summary section to give a succinct but interesting overview of your professional background and what makes you stand out from the competition. Highlight your accomplishments, credentials, and any real estate-related specializations you have. Don't forget to include your contact details so that potential connections can get in touch with you. Prospective clients and partners will find you more appealing if your profile is comprehensive and well-optimized. Connecting with Industry Professionals Once your profile is solid, it's time to begin expanding your network. Make connections with coworkers, mentors, and peers in your industry to start. LinkedIn makes it simple to grow your real estate network by providing helpful suggestions for potential connections based on your current contacts. Don't restrict your interactions to people you already know. Reach out to people you admire or those in your local real estate market because LinkedIn is a platform designed around professional networking. Making genuine connections can be greatly aided by sending a personalized connection request outlining your shared objectives or interests. Joining and Engaging in Groups Connecting with like-minded professionals in your industry is made possible by LinkedIn Groups. Find real estate-related groups on social media and join the ones that suit your goals and interests. You can distinguish yourself as an industry authority by actively participating in discussions, offering insightful commentary, and helping out fellow group members. In addition, even if you are not already connected, being a member of a group enables you to communicate with its members directly. This can be an effective way to expand your network and find potential clients or collaborators in your specialized field. Sharing Valuable Content Content is king on LinkedIn. Regularly sharing informative and engaging posts can position you as a thought leader in the real estate sector. Share articles, blog posts, and industry news, and don't forget to add your own insights and commentary to spark meaningful discussions. Visual content, such as videos and infographics, can be particularly effective in capturing your audience's attention. Be sure to use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts and make it easier for others interested in real estate to discover your content. Utilizing LinkedIn's Publishing Platform With the help of LinkedIn's publishing platform, you can create and distribute lengthy articles among your network. This feature is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and impart in-depth information on real estate issues that are significant to your audience. Your visibility and authority on the platform will increase if your connections interact with your articles. Building Partnerships and Collaborations Networking on LinkedIn isn't just about growing your contact list; it's also about building meaningful partnerships and collaborations that can benefit your real estate business. Here are some strategies to consider: Partnering with Local Businesses Collaborating with local businesses, such as home inspectors, contractors, or interior designers, can be mutually beneficial. These partnerships can provide additional value to your clients and help you tap into new customer bases. Use LinkedIn to identify potential collaborators in your area and reach out to discuss partnership opportunities. Engaging with Real Estate Associations There are numerous real estate associations on LinkedIn. It can be beneficial to follow and participate in these associations to stay informed about market trends, rules, and networking opportunities. You can meet other agents and business leaders by participating in the conversations in these groups. Reaching Out to Prospective Clients LinkedIn is a useful tool for connecting with potential customers. Use advanced search filters to find people who might be looking for a new house or piece of property. Create messages that are specific to them and show your knowledge and desire to help them with their real estate journey. To conclude, in the world of real estate, building a professional network is essential for success. LinkedIn offers real estate agents a powerful platform to connect with industry peers, showcase their expertise, and expand their reach to potential clients and collaborators. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile, actively engaging with your network, and leveraging the platform's features, you can build a strong professional network that will help you thrive in the competitive real estate market. So, if you're a real estate agent looking to boost your career and grow your business, don't underestimate the potential of LinkedIn. Start today, and watch your network and opportunities flourish in this ever-expanding digital landscape! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

6 Steps I Follow to Be a Better Me
Welcome back to our "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" series, which highlights articles around a monthly theme. November's theme is "How to Be a Better Me." Read on for tips and tricks on being your best self in business from Stacy Herbel, REcolorado Director of Education and Development: I have always had a passion for education. That passion is vital to not only my success but those around me as well. And here's why. Education, by nature, is a collaboration of different people and interests working towards a common goal with a simple pass/fail mentality on its surface. Digging even deeper, education is the starting point for everyone's success. And in residential real estate, it's the "know-it-alls" who get it done. I started working in a real estate office as a receptionist when I was 14 years old, and I was always eager to learn more about the industry. I took every opportunity to learn from my colleagues, working in many different facets of the industry, from transaction coordination to escrow and title to training real estate technology. There is a formula I follow to be successful and it's contagious. For example, I have a strong track record of developing and retaining top talent. Two members of my team who left the industry and then came back to work with me again attest to my ability to create a positive and supportive work environment where I am always willing to help my employees grow and develop their careers. Here are six steps I follow to be a better me: 1. Have a passion for education I believe that education is the key to success in any field. It allows you to develop your skills and knowledge, and it gives you the confidence to take on new challenges. I have seen this firsthand in my own career. Students will walk into REcolorado MLS classrooms, often with what they think is a basic understanding of our resources, but they walk out acknowledging they needed the course, had no idea what the systems could do to make their daily business life better, and recognize the benefits of taking additional courses to learn more. If you want to be a better you, I encourage you to develop a passion for education and look for educational opportunities wherever you go. It will open a world of opportunities for you, and it will help you achieve your goals. Start with your managing broker; they are a trusted resource and a wealth of industry knowledge. If you are a broker that is newer to the business, find a mentor. Real estate is very complex — from contract law to cultivating leads, every transaction is different, and mentors can share tools and techniques that have proven successful. If your multiple listing service (MLS) offers classes, take them annually. Most MLSs provide powerful tools you will use daily. Having a clear understanding of those tools will help build and support a strong and efficient business. Why annually? Technology changes and improves; you will want to stay up-to-date on what the tools can do for you. Local and national organizations also provide educational opportunities. 2. Do what you love Do what you love. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's important to remember that you spend a lot of time working, so you should make sure you're doing something that you enjoy. If you're not sure what you love, take some time to explore different interests and see what sparks joy. Once you find something that you're passionate about, pursue it with all your heart. You'll be amazed at how much more fulfilling your life will be when you're doing something that you love. 3. Become a people person At minimum, become a better listener to understand people. Being a people person is important because it allows you to connect with others, build relationships, and create a positive atmosphere. When you listen to what is important to others, you can find ways to connect to them. Better connections lead to better interactions. By becoming a people person, you are more likely to be successful in your personal and professional life. 4. Take the time to find technology to make things better for you It is a misconception to think using technology automatically makes things better. In some cases, you may be going in 30 directions at once, completely rudderless. Technology can provide us with so many options that it can be difficult to decide which one is the best. Take the time to explore and learn tools that best fit your needs. And remember, while most of us do not like change, change is not a bad thing. I have the opportunity to continually interact with brokers and agent who are so glad they took an hour to learn about an REcolorado tool because it will give them back 10 times that in the future. So, push yourself to look for something that better serves you when your current technology no longer does. 5. Focus on growth There are many reasons why real estate companies should focus on growth. But how does growth help anyone become a better professional? Growth allows you to learn and develop new skills. It also allows you to take on new challenges, find new passions, and set and achieve new goals. When you focus on growth, you are not only giving back to yourself, but you are also giving back to your business. 6. Pay your wisdom forward When you pay your wisdom forward, you are not only helping others, but you are also enriching your own life, as is my experience in authoring this op-ed. Here are some ways to pay your wisdom forward: Mentor or coach someone Write a blog or article about your experiences Teach a class or workshop. You never know when sharing your story can change someone else's life for the better. Finally, there is one key element that ties all six of these points together, and that is the importance of connecting one-on-one with those you encounter. Whether it's agents, brokers, clients or someone who is overtly critical of what you are doing, take a moment to take them aside and ask them to tell you more about the issues they face day to day. And then, listen. Listen closely. Because within their remarks is the answer to a very fundamental question in everyone's ongoing education: How can I learn to be a better me? Bolstered by 35 years of real estate experience, Stacy Herbel is the Director of Education and Development at REcolorado, where she oversees the instruction of 25,000 subscribers. In 2013, she managed training throughout a corporation-wide software conversion and successfully transitioned over 14,000 agents in three months. In 2020, she seamlessly navigated education offerings onto an online platform to ensure continued education opportunities for REcolorado subscribers during the pandemic. Stacy is well-versed in adult learning best practices and has gained expertise in all contemporary training modalities. More in this series Protecting Your Identity for Free: A Quick and Easy Guide How to Build Better Real Estate Listings with Immersive Content

Real AI: AI Turbo-powered, new AI research and top AI headlines
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. GPT-4 Turbo: What real estate pros need to know Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, during its first in-person developer event, launched a more powerful AI model dubbed GPT-4 Turbo, currently in Beta, among other advances. What will these AI improvements do? GPT-4 Turbo is said to be a smarter model than ChatGPT-4. It will let even non-coders create personalized versions of ChatGPT for individual use. Its answers are based on a new knowledge cutoff date of April 2023. It can handle up to about 300 pages of content – or 100,000 words – in a single prompt, vastly expanding the capabilities of current versions of ChatGPT. For developers, the cost is 2-3x cheaper. GPT-4 with Vision supports DALLE-3 and Text-to-Speech (TTS), which are all now in the API, meaning it can accept an image as part of a prompt and provide an appropriate textual response, generate images, and it can be spoken to and then respond using its voice. Oh, and there are six different voices you can choose to hear its answers. OpenAI also announced its significantly improved speech recognition model called Whisper V3, which can handle dozens of languages. Why is it important? We are already seeing the impact of computer vision on real estate as nearly the entire MLS platform is integrating with industry leader Restb.ai. If you haven't seen the Restb.ai video showing how an ADA and Fair Housing-compliant entire property listing can be completely generated immediately after the agent uploads the property photos into their MLS, click here. You will see in real-time a concrete example of how computer vision will make life as an agent easier and more productive. But this is only the beginning of extracting data and intelligence from images. The new GPT-4 Turbo with Vision demonstrations shows how incredible its AI is in instantly identifying individual items inside a photo and explaining what they are. Check out this video on X from Robert Lukoshko to see what we mean. Creating your own GPT is a breakthrough previously reserved for enterprise clients and developers. Open AI now claims, "Creating one is as easy as starting a conversation, giving it instructions and extra knowledge, and picking what it can do, like searching the web, making images or analyzing data." In terms of AI-powered multi-lingual tools, these might empower more potential non-English speaking home buyers to become more educated and knowledgeable about the real estate market and the benefits of homeownership. These new tools could also enhance agents' communications and outreach capabilities. The biggest takeaway is the OpenAI announcement showing the direction AI is going (and we've been forecasting): better TTS. Having to type in prompts in an AI world makes absolutely no sense. We can talk to Siri, Google Nest, and Alexa, but we need to speak to ChatGPT. Finally, CNBC noted that OpenAI offered its own guardrails for AI, saying it will step in and defend customers and "pay the costs incurred if you face legal claims around copyright infringement," echoing what Google, Microsoft, and Adobe have said. AI Five Fast Facts Survey of 216 college professors from 67 of the top 100 US computer science programs: 56% of computer science professors at top US research universities surveyed described the corporate leaders as "extremely disingenuous" or "somewhat disingenuous" in their calls for regulation of AI. One in four believe AI will become so advanced at medical diagnoses that it will generally outperform doctors. 85% of survey respondents said AI can be at least somewhat effective in predicting criminal behavior, but only 9% said it can be highly effective. 62% said that misinformation is the biggest challenge in maintaining the credibility and authenticity of news in an environment that includes AI-generated articles. 95% of those assessed described AI's current deepfake capabilities as "advanced" when it comes to video and audio content. Source: Axios, Nov. 8, 2023, with Generation Labs and Syracuse University. AI Headlines Take 5 1. YouTube creators will soon have to disclose the use of gen AI in videos or risk suspension | Associated Press - 11/14/23YouTube's updated policy will allow the removal of AI-generated video that simulates a person's voice. 2. 5 Steps Your Business Needs to Take to Build a Responsible AI Program | Inc. - 11/14/23Maximizing the use of AI is essential, but so is taking precautions for any AI pitfalls. 3. How the Real Estate Industry Can Effectively Leverage AI | Urban Land Magazine - 11/13/23Maurice Conti pines on the impact of generative AI in real estate development. (Requires ULI Guest Account signup.) 4. LinkedIn Introduces New AI-powered Premium Experience | Inman - 11/1/23Are you looking for a reason to pay LinkedIn? Premium users now get access to an AI job coach to assist with job hunting, including answering questions about a company's hiring process and helping determine if they'd be a good fit. 5. How to Use ChatGPT to Plan Your Winter Travel | Kimpton Hotels - 10/8/23Yes, this is a self-interested post, but it offers solid ideas on how to use ChatGPT as a travel planner assistant. Quote of the week To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

We Asked 6 AI Bots to Recommend a Realtor. Here's What Happened
ChatGPT hit the scene in a big way this year, and ever since, people have been asking it all sorts of things — everything from explaining complex topics to home maintenance tips to recommendations for books or movies. That got us thinking — what happens when someone asks ChatGPT (or similar AI models) to recommend a real estate agent to them? And is this a marketing channel that agents should start thinking about? To find out, we asked six AI chatbots the same question: I'd like to buy a house in San Luis Obispo county. Can you recommend Realtors to me? Here's what we found. ChatGPT We started with the most well-known chatbot, ChatGPT. And, well, we struck out. Here's the answer we received: I'm sorry, but I don't have real-time access to databases or the internet, so I can't provide specific recommendations for real estate agents or Realtors. However, I can offer some general advice on how to find a good Realtor in San Luis Obispo County or any other area… We got the same exact response — to the letter — from Poe by Quora, which uses OpenAI's dataset. OpenAI owns ChatGPT, so we're not completely surprised by the similar answers. Fortunately, those two chatbots are the only two on our list without real-time access to the internet. That means our journey is about to get a lot more interesting… Bard Google's Bard chatbot harnesses the power of Google search, but it has yet to attain the same popularity as ChatGPT. However, of all the AIs, it gave us the most complete response. Not only did it provide a photo for each of the five agents it recommended, but also a link — three from LinkedIn, one Realtor.com agent profile, and one agent website, underlining the importance of maintaining a strong online presence. Bing Bing, the Microsoft-owned search engine, now offers an AI-assisted search option. When we asked it to recommend an agent, it offered a succinct list of five options. Only one was a real estate agent, however. The four other suggestions were brokerages, which may indicate that brokerages in our area have more time and budget to invest in their web presence than local agents. Interestingly, Bing provided a link and an example of a current listing for each suggestion. None of the links, though, directed us to that listing or even to the brokerage's or agent's website. Instead, each link sent us to a generic Realtor.com property search for our area. In order to contact any of the listed real estate pros, we'd have to Google (lol, sorry, Bing) them ourselves. Also, every link featured an ad above it, which was far easier to click on than the actual link. So if you're looking for a new place to advertise, perhaps buying ads for similar queries on Bing is worthwhile, especially for brokerages or teams — or for agents who don't have yet a strong enough online presence to be selected for an AI recommendation. ClaudeAI ClaudeAI, which was founded by OpenAI alumni and has investors in Google and Amazon, offered the most straightforward answer. It gave us plain text with no links or images, and a bit of homespun (lab-spun?) advice for finding an agent. Thanks, Claude. Perplexity AI Perplexity AI offered up five suggestions, only three of which were actual real estate pros — one agent, one real estate team, and one brokerage. The other two answers were websites (FastExpert.com and US News) that simply list agents in our area. Not exactly a recommendation — more like a recommendation to a place that kinda-sorta offers recommendations. Thanks, but no thanks. Let's disregard those two suggestions and look at the actual working professionals that Perplexity recommends. Each response comes with a link, but none of those go to an agent or company website. Instead, two links went to a broad search for local agents on Yelp, and one went — somewhat oddly — to this page on Google Maps. To finish things off, Perplexity threw in some random listing photos from the aforementioned sites for good measure. So What Did We Learn? Like most things related to AI chatbots, it's a work in progress. While we don't yet know if or when consumers will rely on chatbots to find a Realtor, agents who wish to prepare for that scenario should invest effort in ensuring their business can be found across a wide array of places online. Here is a list of actions to take, based on where the chatbots we queried pulled information from: Realtor.com links were very popular with the chatbots we surveyed. Make sure you have a complete agent profile there, including contact info and client testimonials. While no Zillow, Trulia, or Homes.com links were offered this time, tend to your profiles there, too, as there's no telling when a tweak to chatbot technology will change things. Claim your Yelp page, if you haven't yet done so, as some chatbots reference this site. LinkedIn was a major recommendation source for Bard, and was the only social media site consulted by the bot. Make sure your profile there is complete, and optimize it for SEO to increase the likelihood of being found. Make it a habit to ask for reviews from clients. Perplexity AI specifically mentioned that each of the real estate pros it recommended were highly rated. It also referenced Yelp, while both Bing and Bard pulled information from Realtor.com. Try to get as many reviews as you can in as many places as you can: portals, Google, Yelp, your website, etc. Make it a long-term goal to establish your agent website as a local real estate source. The one agent website that was linked to in this experiment belongs to a local Realtor who has spent considerable time and effort into building his site as an authority. He offers market updates, a podcast, resources for each community he serves, customer reviews, and more. Regularly update your site with quality content, and link to it anywhere you can: social media, portal profiles, your email signature, marketing materials, and more. Essentially, the key to being recommended by AI is having a broad internet presence. We can't be sure of where it will pull information, especially as the technology is updated, so having a well-maintained online presence seems crucial to catching the attention of AI. But don't stress too much about it. After all, the number one way consumers find their agent is still satisfyingly old-fashioned — by asking family and friends. Related Reading The Power of Local SEO for Real Estate Agents: 7 Ways to Optimize Your Online Presence 6 Expert Tips to Dominate the Online Real Estate Market as an Agent Influencer Approved: 6 Game-Changing ChatGPT Prompts for REALTORS

How Are Buyers and Sellers Finding Agents in 2023?
When it comes to hiring a real estate agent, there are typically hundreds, if not thousands, of options for consumers to tap. The difficulty of finding a qualified and experienced agent who's familiar with certain types of transactions can be a big challenge for consumers, which is one reason why referral programs and search portals have become so popular (and lucrative). How are buyers and sellers finding their agents in 2023? The latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) sheds some light on the situation. Where Are Buyers Finding Their Agents? Would it surprise you to learn that a maximum of 14% of homebuyers find their real estate agent through a search portal? According to NAR, that's the reality of the situation. The report indicates that direct referrals (from a friend, a family member, or neighbor) are how the largest proportion of buyers (43%) find their buyer's agent. Repeat business is the second-most-popular way that agents connect with buyers: 13% of homebuyers who responded to the survey said their agent was one they'd worked with in the past. Only 7% of homebuyers found their agent when they inquired about a specific property online. And another 7% of buyers found their agent through a website with no specific reference (such as a specific property listing). The survey doesn't differentiate between leads generated by a broker or agent website and leads generated by a search portal. It's unlikely that the full 14% of buyers who found their agents online are using portals, but it's also impossible to tell how those leads break down between portals and websites managed by a real estate professional. Where Are Sellers Finding Their Agents? Just like buyers, the largest proportion of sellers find their agent through a referral from a personal connection: a friend, a family member, a neighbor. This described 39% of sellers queried for the NAR report, 43% if you include agent and broker referrals, and 44% if you add in employer or relocation company referrals. And just like buyers, repeat business was also an important way that sellers chose their agent: 26% of sellers used the same agent as they had for a previous transaction. Sellers seemed to have more direct in-person contact with their prospective agents than buyers did. While buyers seemed to restrict their search for an agent to referrals and the internet, a total of 10% sellers reported finding agents by way of: Personal contact by agent: 4% Visiting an open house and meeting agent: 3% Direct mail: 2% Walking into an office and the agent was on duty: 1% Sellers also seem more likely to leverage social media than buyers. A total of 5% of sellers found their agent on an (undefined) website, and they also reported finding agents through social media (2% total). A small number of sellers (3% total) said they found an agent through outlets like the Yellow Pages, for-sale and open-house signs, or through some kind of swag-based advertising campaign (such as a fridge magnet or a calendar). What's missing from your own campaigns to attract buyers and sellers? Are you tapping into referrals as much as you could be? Or leveraging your website and social media platforms? If your business plan for 2024 was to pour more money into search portals, it might be time to rethink that strategy. Related Reading 10 Things to Do When you Receive a Referral How Do Real Estate Agents Get Listings?

Movin' on Up: 15-Point Checklist for Switching Real Estate Brokerages
Has your current brokerage lost some of its shine? Maybe the commission split is lackluster, or the company doesn't offer the resources you need, or maybe its goals no longer align with your own. Whatever the case, part of career growth is recognizing when you've grown beyond your current situation. But switching brokerages can be an involved process with multiple steps. To make it easier for you to move on to bigger and better things, we've put together this handy checklist of tasks you need to complete when you change real estate firms. Before Switching Review your current contract. Before you make the leap, carefully review your contract with your current brokerage so you don't make a misstep that could cost you. Make note of any clauses related to commissions or notice periods. Collect your contacts and any personal marketing materials. Once you give notice to your current firm, you may find yourself immediately cut off from email and the company's contact database. Before giving notice, export your contacts from your current brokerage's email and CRM systems. Make sure you are compliant with data protection and confidentiality regulations first, however. The Switch Inform your current brokerage of your intention to leave, adhering to the notice period specified in your contract. Transfer your license. Contact your local real estate regulatory authority to transfer your license to the new brokerage. This can be done online in some states. Complete any necessary paperwork and pay the required fees. Notify your MLS and local association that you will be switching your license to another real estate brokerage. Sign a new independent contractor agreement with the brokerage you'll be switching to. Obtain Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance. Be sure you have the necessary E&O insurance coverage with your new brokerage. This includes understanding coverage details and any associated costs. Steps to Take at Your New Brokerage Set up a new email and agent profile/website. Whether or not you maintain your own, non-brokerage related email and website, you'll likely still need to sign up for an email address at your new company in order to log-in to the firm's systems and programs. If your brokerage offers agent websites and/or profiles, take advantage of that too, even if you already have your own — the more places to market your services, the better! Create logins for all of your new brokerage apps and resources. Attend training and orientation sessions. Set yourself up for success by participating in any training or orientation sessions offered. If these aren't available, set aside time to familiarize yourself with the tools, software, and systems used by the new brokerage. Sign up for training webinars offered by the software vendors your new firm uses. Import your contacts into your new email and CRM system. Remember all those contacts you exported from your old brokerage? Time to set them up in your new apps. Update your marketing materials. Revise your business cards, website, and any marketing materials to reflect your new brokerage affiliation. Bonus points if you decide to get new headshots (hey, this is a great time for rebranding, right?). Order yard signs for all the new listings that are bound to come your way at your new brokerage. Update your mailing address wherever it appears on documents, contracts, agreements, etc. Make sure you also update these items with your brokerage's name and info wherever it's relevant. Inform your clients and contacts. Now that you've got all the fussy administrative tasks out of the way, it's time for the fun stuff. Let your clients and sphere of influence know about your move to the new brokerage. You can do this via direct mail, email, social media, digital ads — or even via phone calls to your top clients. This mini-marketing blitz is a great reason to reach out, start new conversations, and ensure you remain top-of-mind with clients and prospects. Tips to Make Future Transitions Smoother As we mentioned, it's not uncommon for your previous brokerage to cut off access to any email address, website, or CRM system when you give your notice. That's why we recommend purchasing a website domain name to set up your own website and email address rather than relying on brokerage-provided options. Why? Because a website you personally own is under your control and cannot be turned off when you change brokerages. This helps you maintain brand consistency and ensures no important opportunities or messages are lost when switching brokerages. Your website provider can help you set up email, or you can use Google Workspace to manage your business email. Not sure where to get started? Explore website vendors in our Product Directory. Unless your new brokerage requires that you use their CRM, we recommend subscribing to and setting up a CRM that you control. That way, you never have to leave your valuable contacts behind when you change brokerages next. Find a CRM solution in our Product Directory.

The Evolution of Pre-Sale Renovations: How the industry has changed over the past decade
Over the last decade, the landscape of pre-sale home renovations has undergone a transformation as significant as the shift from looking at a printed MLS book of homes listed for sale to searching for a home on your phone. Just 10 years ago, the notion of pre-sale renovations was a hands-on, do-it-yourself affair, with homeowners deep cleaning and painting, determined to add a layer of polish before planting the "For Sale" sign in their yards. It was a grassroots approach, often complemented by the resourcefulness of forward-thinking real estate agents, that laid the groundwork for a revolution in the home-selling process. This transition from a do-it-yourself ethos to a more sophisticated, turnkey service approach has significantly altered how modern real estate agents help homeowners prepare their properties for the market today. Early days: The hands-on approach In the early 2010s, the real estate industry's approach to pre-sale renovations was heavily reliant on the homeowner's initiative and investment. Investment-minded sellers would venture into substantial improvements, undertaking projects that ranged from kitchen remodels to adding a bathroom. Yet these efforts required not just financial outlay but also the orchestration of various contractors, from plumbers to electricians, when a homeowner was undertaking a home transformation. The rise of agent-driven enhancements During this time, some innovative real estate agents began to recognize the enormous value that pre-sale enhancements could bring to the closing table. These agents, with a keen eye for a property's potential, began offering to manage cosmetic improvements as part of their services. These agents coordinate for homeowners everything from deep cleaning services to providing professional staging. These services were then seamlessly integrated into the seller's closing costs, providing them the advantage of upfront funding, reimbursed to the agent upon sale. Industry revolution: The emergence of Concierge services The true paradigm shift began in October 2018, when Compass, a rapidly expanding brokerage firm, introduced its groundbreaking "Compass Concierge program." This initiative significantly departed from the status quo by offering home sellers comprehensive pre-sale cleaning and improvement services without any upfront costs. The only requirement was an exclusive listing agreement with Compass. While other brokerage firms like Redfin had dabbled in similar programs, their offerings were restricted to a limited number of markets. Compass Concierge, on the other hand, was a first-of-its-kind, wide-reaching service available in every one of the 22 major markets it then served. The move by Compass marked a significant shift towards a more homeowner-friendly model. Startups paving the way Following in Compass's pioneering footsteps, 2019 saw the emergence of specialized startups like Revive Real Estate. These companies dedicated themselves to refining and expanding the concept of home improvement services. The difference? Pre-sale renovation firms provided access to a network of vetted, high-quality contractors or, in some cases, offered their own contracting services. By providing centralized budgeting, design, and project management, homeowners could experience a streamlined, hands-off renovation experience. For the first time, there was no cap on the extent of the renovations; the scale of the work was solely based on the projected return on investment and the agreed-upon budget plan between the renovation firm and the homeowner. Pre-sale renovation services become a standard option Today's pre-sale renovation firms have taken the concept to the next level. By covering all renovation expenses upfront, homeowners are freed from a potentially daunting financial burden. Now, the seller's journey to market is smoother and more strategic than ever, with no initial financial outlay from the homeowner. Once the home sells, the investment in renovations is recouped by the pre-sale renovation firm at closing. Why do agents recommend homeowners use a pre-sale renovation firm? In today's real estate market, the strategic advantage lies with modern real estate agents who embrace innovation. These agents know that instead of rushing to list a home for sale, they can help their sellers unlock the hidden value within their homes. Among the specific benefits that a pre-sale renovation firm can provide include: Enhancing home value through professional expertise Using a pre-sale renovation firm brings the insight of professional designers and contractors to maximize the appeal and, consequently, the value of their property. These experts apply their knowledge of current local market trends and local buyer preferences to ensure that renovations will yield the highest return on investment. They can pinpoint which upgrades will add the most value, from kitchen remodels, bathroom tiling to flooring remodels, ensuring that every dollar spent is strategically invested. Strategic financial planning with no upfront costs One of the most important benefits to many homeowners is the financial flexibility a pre-sale renovation firm offers. Homeowners no longer bear upfront costs, worrying about what investments to liquidate, as the renovation firms cover all these expenses. This often allows for more comprehensive upgrades that might have been financially prohibitive. Because the payment for the improvements is deferred until the home sells, this alleviates any immediate financial pressure a homeowner would otherwise experience. Market-ready homes are more desirable Professionally renovated homes tend to sell faster as they are desirable to more buyers. Moreover, pre-sale renovation firms use market data and even artificial intelligence tools to align renovations with what's selling. This reduces the time a property spends on the market. A home that's been professionally updated and staged will often have a more immediate appeal to more potential buyers – especially Millennials who want move-in ready homes – and that leads to quicker sales. Reduced stress and time commitment for homeowners The renovation process can be overwhelming, with homeowners juggling multiple contractors and timelines. Pre-sale renovation services simplify this by managing the entire project, from initial design concepts to the final touches. The convenience factor cannot be overstated: a turnkey approach minimizes the homeowner's involvement, saving them time and shielding them from the stress of day-to-day project management. Higher quality improvements Because the top pre-sale renovation firms only work with vetted, professional contractors, homeowners can be assured of high-quality results. Moreover, established pre-sale renovation companies stand by their work, often offering guarantees or warranties. This assurance means that the work will not only be completed to a high standard but will endure. Attractive and competitive property listings A home with professional renovations will have a competitive edge in the market. These properties stand out in listings because of their newly updated features. The better a listing looks online, the more interest it can generate, leading to more in-person visits and, potentially, competitive bidding among potential buyers. Customization to maximize profit By tailoring their services to the unique aspects of each property, a pre-sale renovation firm ensures that the improvements made align with the homeowner's goals and the property's potential in its local market. This customized approach maximizes the likelihood of a profitable sale, as renovations are specifically designed to enhance the most valuable selling points of the home. Home improvement has come a long way What was once a patchwork of DIY efforts has evolved into a streamlined, digitally managed symphony of strategic improvements. Moving from the manual to the automated, pre-sale renovation is fueling a monumental shift in how homeowners today prepare their properties for the market with an eye on maximizing their home's value while minimizing their hassle. What a pre-sale renovation path offers a homeowner is creating a more attractive home that appeals to buyers and sells quickly, with less effort and stress for the seller, and financial benefits that make strategic sense – and results in helping homeowners create more wealth. Learn more about pre-sale renovations at revive.realestate/company/education. Jessica Morrow, a seasoned real estate veteran, is Revive Real Estate Head of Operations. Revive's mission is to guide home sellers through presale renovations without upfront costs. Working with Revive, home sellers gain an average of $186,000 in additional profit when selling their homes.   Thank you to Revive for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

Real AI: AI and driverless cars (or not), AI fast facts and top AI headlines
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. AI and driverless cars: Is AI failing the trust test? Cruise, the autonomous taxi firm backed by GM, is in trouble, The Hustle reports. This is despite the announcement by GM a couple of weeks ago that it is partnering with Honda to launch its robotaxi service in Japan by 2026. Cruise also plans to expand into 12 more US markets. Real estate agents have been hopeful that driverless cars could someday handle open house tours and buyer showings. Based on various media reports, those days seem much farther in the future. In GM's recent news release announcing the Japan expansion, the first sentence says, "We're marching toward a future with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion." Zero crashes? The Hustle shares these numbers and reports: Cruise was involved in 261 incidents from April 2022 to April 2023. Waymo, another autonomous taxi firm and sister company to Google, recorded 85 incidents. As many as a dozen Cruise cars stalled and blocked San Francisco streets during a music festival. Another Cruise robotaxi got stuck in wet concrete driving on Golden Gate Avenue in April. One Cruise collided with a fire truck on its way to an emergency. 20 feet: that's the distance when on Oct 2, a Cruise robotaxi dragged a pedestrian that was flung into its path by a hit-and-run driver before it was able to stop entirely. California now has demanded Cruise slash its fleet by 50%. The California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruise's driverless vehicle license, grounding all of its robotaxis on Oct 24. On Wednesday, Cruise recalled all 950 of its cars. This autonomous saga is likely to continue. When AI works great, it can be astounding. When it fails, it can potentially be catastrophic. The most significant impact overall is pushing out AI before it is completely baked, which erodes public trust. Just ask a real estate agent or broker how vital trust is. Footnote: The Seattle World's Fair in 1962 boasted predictions that were "certain to be realities by 2001," including flying cars. We're clearly having crucial challenges with self-driving vehicles, much less flying ones. Maybe AI will succeed with eVTOLs (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) where it hasn't – at least yet – with autonomous cars. At least that would cut the commute time for a buyer touring homes. AI Five Fast Facts Half of US adults are concerned about AI taking their jobs or the jobs of people they rely on. More than half (53%) of women stated they would not let their kids use AI compared to just over one-fourth (26%) of men. Only one in four Americans said AI will improve their lives. 64% of Americans believe that there should be disclosure when AI is used in professional spaces, lower than the 78% who say that the same disclosure should be applied to AI-created political ads. About two in three US adults said they are concerned that other countries will use AI to gain a competitive advantage in technological advancements over the United States. Source: Axios AI Headlines Take 10 1. Does your business need a chief AI officer? | ZDNET - 11/8/23Companies are adopting a new position for overseeing the adoption and deployment of AI. Does it pay in the mid-sixes? 2. 5 Strategies to Protect Your Company's Customer Service from AI Pitfalls | Entrepreneur - 11/2/23Understanding AI, recognizing the limits of AI tools, and calibrating your brand to harness AI to the fullest. 3. Love it or Leave it? Study Shows How People Perceive AI-created Content | Medium - 10/9/23Human favoritism does not equal AI aversion: a must-read for content creators leveraging AI. 4. Put these 5 AI tools to work for your content marketing in 2024 | Inman - 11/1/23Opusclip, Descript.com, Adobe Firefly, Remini, and Designrr (not a typo, yes, "rr"): recommended by self-described "AI Efficiency Coach" Phil Stringer, whose too-dark Insta photo needs AI help. 5. The ups and downs of leveraging AI in real estate | Palo Alto Online - 11/8/23Silicon Valley Assoc. of Realtors leans into the topic, but not very deeply. 6. Business leaders share their best practices when implementing AI | Fortune - 11/8/23AI adoption has doubled in the last five years, but companies struggle to leverage it, remaining in the baby steps phase. 7. Why self-regulation is best for artificial intelligence | The Hill - 11/8/23Swift responsiveness, cost-effectiveness, and trust through transparency are some of the perks of regulating your own AI. 8. How to detect real estate fraud: All you need to know | Comply Advantage Blog - 11/2/23While this is a security firm's blog post, it's an excellent recap of all kinds of fraud, ending with specifics on how AI can help detect it. 9. 'Power of AI': Use cases, security business implications | Comply Advantage Blog - 11/8/23Security company leaders gather to discuss AI's current and future influence in the security space. 10. Neural Networks Could Soon Bring Smartphone Photos to the Next Level | ExtremeTech - 11/6/23Glass Imaging explains how its AI tool is the next big thing in mobile photo-taking. Quote of the week To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

The Jury Has Ruled on Commissions: What Are the Next Steps?
So many lawsuits, what happens next? The answer is: it depends. For now, agents need to pay attention to the information from their MLS and their association of REALTORS, and talk to their broker. Do not put too much into the articles you read in the real estate news, unless a lawyer is writing it. The case list is long – Morel vs. NAR, Leader vs. NAR, Nosalek vs. MLSPIN, Sitzer/Burnett vs. NAR, and more! Do not get drawn into the drama. Nothing has happened yet. When it does, listen to your broker and your MLS/association. I have been mad about the Sitzer/Burnett case from the beginning. My opinion on Sitzer/Burnett is that the judge should be fired. Early in the case, he categorized it as a per se antitrust case rather than a rule of reason antitrust case. Every attorney that I have discussed this with has indicated that Sitzer/Burnett is a rule of reason case. That judge got it wrong. A per se violation requires no inquiry into the actual effect on the market, or the intentions of those individuals who engaged in the antitrust behavior. In this case, the market effect and intentions really matter… appeal! And yes, there will be an appeal, unless there is a settlement. The decision of appeal vs. settlement will absolutely be a measure of money – not law or the facts in the case. The final settlement in the case, or the appeal – or whatever happens next – does not really matter unless you are named in the litigation. For everyone else, think about how you can change now to avoid this sort of business uncertainty in the future. It's not that hard to change. Buyer's Agent Change Now Update the "Submit Offer" form from the buyer to include a field for buyer agent compensation. Oh, and make sure the buyer's agent uses a buyer representation agreement immediately, on every lead, and early in the conversation with the buyer. If you don't get paid by the seller, the buyer will need to pay you. Listing Agent Change Now Notify the seller of your fees and discuss the optional offer of compensation to the buyer's agent. Make it clear that the seller is paying your agency fee to some amount or percentage, and that they can authorize you to negotiate with the buyer on the buyer agent fee, or not. Let's look at the seller agency carefully. The seller pays a commission for a job. How the listing firm does that job, and who they pay to do that job, is up to them as long as it is seller authorized. MLS Change Now MLSs have the opportunity to change now. Just remove the offer of compensation field all together. Buyer's agents can submit an offer that includes buyer agent compensation; get out of that. This will also remove all suspicion of steering. Talk to Your Lawyer If you are an MLS, association, or broker, then you better have a dialogue with your lawyer about what happens if you get sued. The impact of these cases will be different for many states, so don't hold your breath and hope for clean air in the future. Assess your liability, if any. If you can pay it, or some amount – you may want to do that. Otherwise, you may want to dispose of your company and start another one before it's too late. NAR Dues The National Association of REALTORS® has had to raise money for settlements before. Some of you might remember the CIVIXX case involving a company that had a patent on displaying a property icon on a map to represent a home for sale. NAR settled for $7.5 million. They sent an invoice to all of the MLSs. This is a large legal bill; expect a far larger dues increase. Shout out to my retired consulting colleague Ann Bailey for saving the industry's ass with CIVIXX. Keep Selling The most important thing to tell agents today is to keep selling real estate, and their value is impressive. I expect some great new technology to emerge to demonstrate the value of listing agents and buyer's agents. I have been keeping an eye on Rayse. Theirs is a website that tells you nothing about the product, but the mission is clear: value your expertise. Consumers need professionals to help them with real estate transactions. Be there for your client. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog. Next steps Read recent research on buyer's agent commissions See more articles on tips, tricks and tools for buyer's agents Explore Buyer's Agent tools in our Product Directory.

6 Reasons Not to Use Similar Passwords and the Best Alternatives
Today, our entire lives – professional and personal – are online. Increasing your security steps is now imperative. For Realtors, it's not just about locking doors after an open house but also bolting the virtual gateways to invaluable data: yours and your clients. It's challenging for anyone to keep track of the password demands of today as it seems nearly everything we access needs a password. Unfortunately, shortcuts can be costly. Using a simple password or a variation of a main password structure is like leaving your doors unlocked, begging hackers to enter. In a recent study by NordPass, the word "password" was the fifth most popular for nearly 21 million people worldwide. The top four passwords were "123456," "123456789," "12345," and "qwerty." It's also a common practice to simply create a variation of your favorite password, but experts warn that doing this exposes you to monumental risks. Here are six reasons why you don't want to create a variation of the same password and strategies to increase the protection of your data online. 1. The Peril of Variations Switching a number here or capitalizing a letter there might seem like you're outsmarting potential threats. But hackers are more sophisticated than ever. With advanced software programs that run powerful algorithms, bad actors can quickly predict exposed password variations. It's akin to a criminal casing a bank and studying routines. They still find their way in if you shift your spare key from the doormat to the flowerpot. 2. The Dangers of the Dark Web When internet breaches occur, the dark web becomes a marketplace of stolen data. Passwords are among the prime commodities. Are you using slightly adjusted passwords across platforms? If so, it potentially hands hackers a key to every digital room of your life. Again, for Realtors, protecting your data extends beyond personal ramifications. It means potentially jeopardizing client data – breaking their trust if sensitive information is accessed. 3. The Power of Modern Browsers Today's popular internet browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge aren't just internet portals. They can fortify your online activity. By leveraging their cutting-edge features, you gain: Auto-generated Passwords: Your browser can instantly offer watertight passwords tailored to each site. Better yet, they store your new credentials and retrieve them as needed. Secure Vaults: Never forget or misplace your passwords again – the browser remembers them for you. Prompt Updates: Keeping your browser current ensures it will have the latest security protocols ready to protect you from nefarious plays. A continually updated browser is akin to a shield that's ever-changing to fend off the newest threats. 4. Passkey Protection Tech giants Google and Apple are launching a new era of passkeys. What are passkeys, and why should you care? Passkeys are the next generation of technology designed to replace passwords – and the challenges they create. First, passkeys are digital marvels. They are secure digital tokens that do away with the age-old hassle of recalling your passwords. Second, passkeys are unique to each site or application, residing securely within your device. Think of it as your distinctive digital signature for each site requiring secure access. What's the big deal? A compromised passkey for one site is utterly useless elsewhere. 5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) MFA might feel like a chore, but the little bit of extra work makes it worth the effort. Visualize it as an advanced security system of a home. It demands not one but multiple proofs of identity – a known password, a device in hand, often to enter a code sent, or sometimes a biometric imprint like a face or fingerprint scan. This multifaceted defense means that intruders can't go any further, even if one part breaches. 6. Password Managers Does having to manage countless, highly unique passwords frighten you? An easy alternative is to use a password manager. Password managers are specialized software tools and browser add-ons designed to help you create, store, and retrieve intricate and unique passwords for your online accounts. Think of them as digital vaults. You only need to remember one strong master password to access your password manager, and it takes care of the rest, inputting the correct password on the right site whenever you need it. Reaping the Benefits When you forgo the lure of password shortcuts, you reap huge benefits: Trust: In an industry where your reputation is everything, safeguarding client data is vital. Peace of Mind: You can soundly sleep when you realize your digital identity is shut tighter than a drum. Efficiency: By using any of these automated tools, you'll spend less time on password recovery and more on your business. Fortifying Your Future Knowing the importance of password protection is the first step. Using the latest technology to fortify your online access is the next one. If you need help and advice, contact a friendly analyst at Tech Helpline, a free member benefit for over 765,000 Realtors across North America, for assistance. Remember, using a smarter approach to your passwords keeps your doors locked and prevents bad actors from breaking in. Related Reads From the Tech Helpline Blog: Is Your Computer Protected from All The Newest Cyber Threats? A Quick Checklist Top 5 Ways for Real Estate Agents to Protect Their Data and Personal Privacy How safe is your computer? Check out this safety checklist! Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns both Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity.   Thank you to Tech Helpline for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

4 Ways to Invest in Yourself
As the saying goes: you can't pour from an empty cup. And it's not just the stuff of self-help literature, it's a fact — you can't be your best and beat the competition without taking care of and investing in yourself first. Throughout your career, it's crucial to assess where you are, and not just for the sake of ensuring you're hitting a target or a specific number. You want to ensure you're investing back in yourself, and that the investment you make translates back out into your business. 1. Learn a New Skill What better way to invest back into yourself than by putting in the time, effort, and dedication to learning a new skill or two? Take a beat to sit down and jot down a list of all the technical skills you'd like to improve but just haven't had the time to tackle. Maybe it's becoming a whiz at your team's CRM. How about writing great copy for your email sends? Or, this is the year you learn the ins and outs of optimizing your marketing ROI. Let the ideas flow, and then stack-rank them with your top three picks. Next, check out online or local courses, or even tapping the shoulder of a colleague, to see how you can improve in each of those areas. By investing in improving and diversifying your skill set, you're truly investing in yourself. You can also pivot this to be focused more on your professional development. Are you eager to sharpen your negotiation skills? Is there a niche in real estate you'd love to learn more about? Or could your presentation skills use some tightening up? Whatever it is, go forth and pursue it relentlessly. Not only will your real estate biz benefit, you never know — you just might find your next passion. 2. Get Involved with Your Local Real Estate Association Your local real estate association is a wealth of access to so many opportunities that can directly translate to your day-to-day work. By getting involved with your local association, you can get access to a wide variety of training offerings, exclusive market research and MLS listings, and opportunities to attend conferences. And, because you're rubbing elbows with fellow real estate pros, it's an excellent way to network. 3. Choose a Mentor in the Business World You likely already have a mentor in the real estate industry (and if you don't, you should), but have you considered partnering up with a mentor in the business world? A mentor doesn't have to be involved in real estate for you to learn things from them, especially in the world of business. Business has a vast selection of concepts and best practices, all of which can help amplify your real estate business. Tapping into a business mentor can also allow you to explore a variety of new skills that can translate over to your world of real estate. If there is an area you want to better understand, find someone that can teach you that is already an expert in that area. Wish you were a master at running a business of your own? Want to improve your skills overcoming objections? Need a refresher on networking, both virtually and online? A business mentor can help with all of the above. 4. Get Involved in Your Community Believe it or not, helping others can be the gateway to helping yourself. A great way to invest in yourself is by getting involved in your community. It may sound counterintuitive, but think about it: by rolling up your sleeves and helping out where you live, you can make an actual difference and true impact on your community members. Most surprisingly, volunteering and giving back has been found by researchers to have clear health benefits, both physically and mentally, as well as help build new skills and connections. Furthermore, being involved in your community allows you to become an expert in your area, which directly translates back to knowledge you can use to help your buyers and sellers. As an added bonus, getting your name, face, and assistance out in your local area helps build up your brand, too. Your path to learning, growth, and self-improvement should be a continuous journey. By investing in yourself, in turn, you can offer a better version of yourself to others and to the world around you. This causes a ripple effect out into your real estate business, leading to better client experiences, more confidence in your deals, and masterful management of all that comes your way. To view the original article, visit the BoomTown blog. Related reading 9 Traits of Wildly Successful Agents How to Accentuate the Positive in Your Real Estate Career From Plan to Reality: Making Goals and Sticking to Them

Protecting Your Identity for Free: A Quick and Easy Guide
Welcome back to our "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" series, which highlights articles around a monthly theme. November's theme is "How to Be a Better Me." Read on for tips and tricks on being your best self: In an age where our personal information is more vulnerable than ever, it's crucial to take proactive steps to safeguard your financial well-being and personal privacy. Particularly when it's FREE and takes less than hour! One powerful tool in your arsenal against identity theft is placing a credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. In this article, we will guide you through the process of placing a credit freeze and provide you with essential tips to fortify your financial security. What Is a Credit Freeze? A credit freeze, or security freeze, is a FREE option that lets you limit unauthorized access to your credit report, preventing others from opening accounts in your name. You'll need to "thaw" or lift the freeze each time you apply for credit; however, many people feel the benefits outweigh the small inconvenience. There are also paid credit "lock" subscriptions available including a number of identity theft protection tools. Overall, both credit freezes and credit locks can be effective tools for protecting your identity and the choice between the two depends on your personal preferences and needs. Why Should You Consider a Credit Freeze? Protection Against Identity Theft: A credit freeze is one of the most effective ways to prevent identity thieves from using your personal information to open new credit accounts, loans, or credit cards in your name. Peace of Mind: Knowing that your credit is locked down adds a layer of security, reducing the risk of unauthorized financial activities on your behalf. FREE and EASY: Placing and lifting a credit freeze is a straightforward process, and it's typically free of charge. How to Place a Credit Freeze Contact the Three Major Credit Bureaus: Visit the official websites of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to initiate the credit freeze process. You can also call their respective toll-free numbers or request it by mail. Provide Necessary Information: You will need to provide personal information such as your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address. Be prepared to verify your identity. Receive Your PIN: Once the freeze is in place, each bureau will provide you with a unique PIN or password. Keep these in a secure location as you will need them to temporarily lift or remove the freeze. Monitor Your Credit: Regularly check your credit reports for any suspicious activity. You can still access your own credit reports while the freeze is in place. Quick Resources for a FREE credit freeze: Equifax Consumer Service Center or call 800-349-9960 Experian Credit Freeze or call 888-397-3742 TransUnion Credit Freeze or call 888-909-8872 At a minimum, freezing the three major bureaus should be a top priority; however, there are a few lesser-known organizations worth considering. ChexSystems is a service many banks use when checking credit before opening new bank accounts – ChexSystems Online Security Freeze or call 800-428-9623 Innovis is another credit bureau many consumers miss when freezing credit reports – Innovis Online Security Freeze or call 866-712-4546 National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange (NCTUE) is a credit reporting agency association within the utility industry – NCTUE (Exchange Service Center) Online Security Freeze or call 866-349-5355 Tips for Maintaining a Credit Freeze Keep Your PINs Secure: Never share your PINs with anyone you don't trust implicitly. Plan Ahead: If you intend to apply for credit, loans, or open new accounts, temporarily lift the freeze beforehand. This can usually be done quickly online or over the phone. Stay Informed: Stay updated on the latest developments in identity theft protection and credit reporting regulations. Review Your Credit Reports: Regularly review your credit reports for errors or discrepancies. You can obtain a free credit report from each bureau once a year at AnnualCreditReport.com. Consider a Credit Monitoring Service: These services can alert you to any suspicious activity on your credit reports, providing an added layer of security. Don't be one of the 40 million U.S. adults affected by identity theft every year. It can take months and years to fully recover financially from identity theft – don't wait until it's too late! By taking these steps to protect your credit, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to identity theft. TrustFunds cares about the financial health of you, your business, and your clients! Share TrustFunds handy Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Flyer with your colleagues, friends, and family. TrustFunds is dedicated to simplifying, securing, and bridging digital gaps in the real estate industry, by streamlining the earnest money process. To learn more about TrustFunds and its services, please visit their website at trustfunds.us.com.

9 Expert Tips for a Worry-Free Vacation
Real estate is often a deadline-driven, 24/7 profession. The pressure to be available round-the-clock can mean interrupting personal time and sacrificing vacations. However, to serve your clients best, you need to be at your best. Yes, even real estate agents must take regular vacations. Believe it or not, it is possible to take a well-deserved break, genuinely disconnect, and not be consumed with worry. How, you ask? Here are some expert tips to help you take the time you need to recharge and refresh. 1. Pick a Partner Even if you are part of a team, chances are you already have found the benefits of being able to cover for one another. But if you're a solo agent, as most real estate agents are, collaboration is your friend. Partnering with a fellow agent during vacations can be a game-changer, as it unlocks the ability to cover for each other during vacations. This symbiotic relationship ensures that your clients are cared for and always have a point of contact. It also allows you to test the dynamics of working within a team. Who knows, it might just be the stepping-stone to a more significant partnership. It certainly will give you insight into team dynamics, and you'll see if it's a good fit for you. 2. Manage Client Expectations Communication and transparency are key. Weeks before your vacation, start telling your clients about your vacation plans. When a new client comes on board, make sure they also know about your plans. The key is to assure them that they will remain in expert hands while you recharge. If feasible, introduce them to your teammate in person, virtually, or even by emailing a personalized video. Clients value transparency and this proactive step can set the stage for smooth interactions and help strengthen their trust in you. 3. Prepare to Say No The allure of just one more deal or a quick showing is often hard to resist. But to truly disconnect, you must draw a line. Block your vacation time well in advance and be assertive in safeguarding that time. If a client requests a meeting during this period, politely decline and explain. While being there for your clients is essential, it's equally vital to be there for yourself. Remember, genuine emergencies are exceptions; everything else can wait. 4. Notifications? Turn Them Off A digital detox should be your mantra. To truly relax, you must go notification-free: it's your passport to a relaxing vacation. Yes, the real estate business is unpredictable, so to handle a dire emergency, you can set up a predefined system with your covering teammate. By establishing a fail-safe method, such as the "three-call rule" or a unique text code, you'll know when it is essential for you to respond. Otherwise, you can lean back – and relax! 5. Set Up Autoresponders In our hyper-connected world, silence leads to speculation. You can avoid this by setting up your email, text, and social channels with autoresponders. Include details about your plans, including whom to contact in your absence, their contact information, and the date of your return. Taking advantage of an automated system will keep everyone informed and reduce the influx of urgent requests. 6. Remind Your Colleagues Even if you have informed everyone in your office about your planned absence, it's a best practice to send a gentle reminder the day before you take off. Share who is covering for you to help protect you from any last-minute surprises. 7. Resist the Urge to Check Emails Yes, it will test your willpower not to pull out your phone and check your inbox, especially when you've built a reputation for being hyper-responsive. But remember, this is your time. If you must, allocate a specific short period in the day to skim through pressing emails that do not interfere with your vacation plans. And here's a hack: If you're traveling with someone, swap devices and screen each other's emails. That way, you can be confident that everything is okay back in the office. You still can address anything that is genuinely urgent. If your teammate can manage your inbox in your absence, that's even better. 8. Teach Your Teammate If you use a digital transaction management system, like Form Simplicity, make sure your teammate knows how to access and use it. For example, Form Simplicity allows you to create teams and allow team members customizable access to your transactions so your vacation-covering partner can monitor your essential activities. 9. Return with Buffer Time If you've been successful and truly disconnected and relaxed, the first day back to work can be jarring. Don't jump straight into appointments but make your first day a buffer day. Keep the day blocked off to sift through emails, catch up on updates, plan your tasks, and update your schedule. This way, you're not overwhelmed and can seamlessly transition back into your work mode. Take Time for You Real estate might be about location, location, location, but when it comes to maintaining a work-life balance, it's about preparation, delegation, and relaxation. Remember, a rejuvenated agent is a more effective agent. Investing time in yourself yields better focus, improved client relations, and a fresh perspective. So, embrace that vacation spirit: pack your bags, set up your out-of-office responders, and embark on that much-deserved getaway. As they say in real estate – it's an investment, and this one's for your well-being. Related Reads Form Simplicity and Tech Helpline blogs: 4 Ways Technology Can Help Real Estate Agents Achieve Work-Life Balance How to Reduce Stress from Tech: 4 Time-Tested Tactics 6 Ways You Can Use Technology to Reduce Your Stress Tricia Stamper is Director of Technology at Florida Realtors®, which owns both Tech Helpline and Form Simplicity.

Our Top 10 Most-Read Articles of October: Scary Listing Photos, Client Retention, Decor Trends and More
Last month featured some spooky content, as our #1 most-read article of October attests to. But preventing past clients from ghosting was even more on the mind of agents and brokers last month. Articles #3 and #5 are from last month's Tips & Tricks Tuesday theme, "Never Lose Another Client." Never losing another transaction was also a top post — see our #2 article on contract cancellations. Want something lighter? Scroll down for quick reads on renovations (#7) and home decor trends (#10). 1. 13 Scary Listing Photos that Will Horrify BuyersSeeking something scary this Halloween? Look no further than this collection of listing photos. In the spirit of ghoulies and ghosties, and all things that go bump! in the night, here are 13 scary listing photos that will frighten prospects away faster than you can say boo! 2. Contract Cancellation: How to Prevent It From Happening to YouThe current market is seeing a record number of contract cancellations. Finding clients who are ready to transact is already hard enough in this market. Seeing a transaction through nearly to the end just for it to be canceled can be downright devastating. So what's an agent to do? 3. 3 Ways to Create Forever Clients Using Your Real Estate CRMCountless real estate agents lose business because people in their sphere 1) assumed the agent was too busy because they never reached out, or 2) didn't think of the agent first because they didn't communicate as consistently as the agent who reached out regularly and provided valuable information. To build a robust database that supports your business for years to come, here are three ways to strategically strengthen client relationships. 4. 5 Emerging Technologies That Will Redefine Real EstateEmerging technologies are already impacting how real estate professionals can complete daily tasks faster. From automation to computer vision, these game-changing technologies are unlocking new ways to accelerate the day-to-day productivity of real estate professionals. Here are five emerging technologies that are starting to reshape how to attract, engage, and maintain clients. 5. 6 Ways Digital Home Management Platforms Help Agents Keep Clients ForeverThe real estate industry naturally focuses on finding active buyers and active sellers. But what do agents, brokerages, and the industry do to help the other 115 million homeowners who either recently completed a transaction or are happy in their current home? Learn how digital home management platforms help homeowners manage their home while providing agents and brokers with a way to never lose them. 6. 4 Interesting Ways Top Producers Use Their CRMS (That You Might Not Be Doing)Most agents use some kind of a CRM. Even though agents know that they should be leveraging these tools to help them generate more business (and more income), many of them seem to be doing so... somewhat halfheartedly. But agents who produce more are using their CRMs a little bit differently than agents who produce less. Here are some ways you might consider tweaking your own CRM use in order to join that top echelon of sellers. 7. The ROI of Renovations: Explaining the Financial Potential of Renovating Before SellingLow listing inventory is a common challenge that agents are facing in 2023, and one big reason is because homeowners who live in properties that could use a little TLC before going to market are unable to fund those renovations. It's hard for a homeowner to list their most valuable asset knowing that they could be asking for more money if they made a few small changes upfront! Presale renovations are one way that homeowners can realize the full potential of their home's value without having to pay out-of-pocket for the upgrades. Find out how to discuss presale renovations with potential sellers. 8. RPR Mobile: Why It's the Must-Have App for REALTORSThe RPR app is akin to carrying around the entire RPR website in your pocket or purse: it's jam packed with property data, reports and tools. With it, agents are as equally productive as when they're in the office at their desktop. This article highlights all the tangible features and capabilities of real estate's most powerful app — and puts a spotlight on all the intangibles that make it an indispensable tool. 9. How Often Are Agents Alone With Prospects? (And How Dangerous Is That, Really?)Working as a real estate agent is perfectly safe most of the time. When it's unsafe, however, it's usually due to the fact that agents meet frequently with people they don't know very well at private home showings or open houses, which can put them at risk. A recent agent safety study asked agents how often they are alone with prospects and what steps they take to keep themselves safe at work. Here are some of the findings around agent interaction with their clients. 10. Home Trends: What's In (and Out) for 2024Get ready, #hometok. Zillow is unveiling its data-driven predictions for the features and design elements poised to transform homes and dominate social media feeds in 2024. From the raw appeal of brutalist design (concrete floors, anyone?) to the delicate artistry of Murano glass chandeliers, these emerging home trends highlight new post-pandemic pastimes and a nostalgia for the design of decades past.

Should You Explore the Divorce Niche for More Listing Leads?
In a time of challenging inventory levels, real estate agents are having to take a hard look at unexpected places to find listings. One tactic is to explore niches that are unaffected by broader economic currents, particularly those related to life events — like divorce. This niche is what real estate broker and coach Brandon Mulrenin discusses in the video below. But first, a caveat: Given the emotional nature of the circumstances, serving divorcing clients is not for the faint of heart — or the untrained. Realtors interested in the niche should look into certification courses that teach communication skills specific to serving divorcing clients, as well as family law issues. If this seems like a niche that you'd like to serve, watch the video below to learn: The pros: market-proof niche, highly motivated sellers, low competition How one client can lead to three transactions Strategies for building relationships with divorce attorneys to encourage referrals The compliance issues you may encounter, and the expertise needed to avoid them The pros and cons of having to testify in court And more Explore more real estate niches Try This Expired Listing Script to Win More Appointments How to Win Over Tough FSBOs (and a Script to Help) Why Absentee Owners May Be a Gold Mine for Seller Leads in Today's Market

25 Tips, Tricks and Resources for Keeping Past Clients
You've likely heard that old bit of business wisdom: it's more costly to find a new customer than to keep an existing one. Acquiring new real estate clients typically means spending on marketing and advertising — and it also requires a whole lot of hustle. Your existing clients, however, already know you and trust you, and with a bit of effort to stay in touch, they're likely to hire you again. But what are the best ways to stay top-of-mind and what tools can help? Those are the questions we've been tackling this month. During the month of October, RE Technology has been running a series of articles every Tuesday aimed at helping you retain more clients. It's part of our "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" series. This month, our theme has been "Never Lose Another Client." Below is an overview of the topics we covered, compiled in one convenient place: 6 Ways Digital Home Management Platforms Help Agents Keep Clients Forever 3 Ways to Create Forever Clients Using Your Real Estate CRM 4 Tips to Ensure You Never Lose Another Client How to Attract Customers... and Keep Them: Think Like a Healthcare Network Unlock the Secret to Keeping Clients We hope these articles were helpful to our readers. However, you should know that great advice about keeping clients isn't something we share just one month per year — we do it year-round! To help round out our client retention-focused month, today we want to share more resources that we've published over the years. Let's dive in… First things first Before you can lay out your approach to client retention, you need to understand why clients forget their agents and what they want from you after the sale. According to What Do Past Real Estate Clients Want?, they want to know that they can approach you in the future if they have questions or need contractor recommendations — basically, by being a reliable source of homeownership information, you inspire long-term loyalty in your clients. That helpful approach can start immediately with something as simple as sharing a New Home Checklist for Your Clients: 11 Things to Do After Unpacking. Tools and strategies for client retention There are plenty of tools out there that can help you maintain client relationships. Before you look to plunk down serious cash, however, don't forget to look to your MLS. Here's a simple way you can use your MLS to stay in touch. One emerging client retention strategy is called "homeowners under management," which leverages home management platforms. These platforms support homeowners throughout the homeownership lifecycle by providing a single place for them to track their home's equity, store important documents like mortgage docs and insurance policies, learn about maintaining a home, and much more. These platforms are typically branded to the agent's or brokerage's business, which puts your real estate business front and center whenever the client accesses the platform. HomeZada and Milestones are two major players in this space. Another way to stay-top-of-mind with past clients is by tapping into their innate curiosity about their home and neighborhood. CoreLogic's ePropertyWatch automates this process for you by sending out periodic neighborhood and property reports to your contacts. For a more personal touch, we've always been partial to the annual equity update. You can use RPR or your MLS's public records tool to create a home equity report, and then reach out to homeowners on their home purchase anniversary to share that report. It's a great reminder to past clients of the value you provide and of your market knowledge. Of course, keeping track of that anniversary date means relying on perhaps the most important tool in your client retention arsenal: the CRM. But we think that deserves a section of its own… Working your database Your real estate CRM is a veritable goldmine. If you're not taking advantage of it to stay in touch with past clients, check out the following articles to learn how to: Build a healthy repeat and referral business Create a follow-up process Use your CRM like a top-producing agent Email is one of the easiest ways to keep in touch with former clients, especially when automated, and most CRMs offer email functionality. Here are some email campaign ideas you can try to retain existing clients: Example of a Homebuyer Follow-Up Campaign 6 Emails You Can Use to Stay in Touch with Past Clients Communication is key We've talked a lot about keeping in touch with past clients, but if that's something you've let fall by the wayside, never fear! It's never too late to reach out. In fact, one agent didn't reach out to a client in 12 years, but when she did, she earned $10,000 from a personal note! If you need a little help in reaching out to contacts you've fallen out of touch with, see: The Ultimate Script for Reconnecting with Past Real Estate Clients. For more strategies for staying in touch, see: 6 scripts to keep in touch and get more business The 8-step outreach plan to use with buyers during their first year of homeownership Finally, what you don't say is sometimes just as important as what you do say. Learn how to avoid a communication faux pas in 5 Things an Agent Should Never Say to Leads and Past Clients. More tips and tricks for your real estate business Catch up on our previous Tips and Tricks Tuesday series: 52 Resources for Making Money with Your Phone 40 Tools, Tips and Scripts for Finding More Listings

Real AI: 2024 the Year of AI, AI fast facts and top headlines
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. 2024: The Year of AI The accelerated growth we are seeing and experiencing in artificial intelligence continues to be unlike any other game-changing technology ever. When it comes to Generative AI and Large Language Models, it's just a baby about to turn into a teenager. If you think AI in 2023 has been incredible, just wait until 2024. Based on its trajectory, 2024 will be the year of AI. Some signs and signals: Investment: Goldman Sachs says AI investment in startups could reach $100 billion in the US and $200 billion globally by 2025. They are probably underestimating it. Research: Industry, not academia, is dominating AI research, says a new MIT study. "70% of individuals with a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence get jobs in private industry, compared with 20% two decades ago." Google alone has invested a reported $30.7 billion in AI. Facebook comes in at $22.1 billion and Microsoft and Amazon at $10 billion each, ExoInsight said in March. And don't forget IBM, one of the earliest pioneers with Watson, so far investing $200 billion. Again, we are seeing just the tip of this research iceberg. Breakthroughs and Milestones: Over time, AI gets smarter. Coupled with the fact that we are putting more brainpower behind AI innovations than ever, we are likely to see a stunning increase in the use of AI, especially in early adopting industries like real estate. If you're shocked that at the RESO meeting last week, the opening recording of the voice of Rebecca Jensen, Chair of RESO and head of MRED, was not Rebecca, wait until you see what will blow you away in 2024. Next year will provide new AI tech even more jarring than the demo Ylopo showed at the T3 Sixty Tech Summit, where agents can create automated, personalized instant videos – digital twins complete with their artificially created voice – to send to a client. Regulation: The regulatory battles are just beginning. Next week, the Biden administration will issue an AI Executive Order, expected to attempt to put guardrails around AI. Governments have done so well regulating social media – not! On the plus side, the order is also likely to unlock immigration barriers for high-skilled workers. Government: The White House is reportedly preparing a website to recruit AI workers, which will include the ability to submit a resume to apply for AI-related jobs in government. Just watch how many AI positions will instantly open up. Remember, the Federal government spent $3.3 billion on AI last year. Impact: Protesters and advocates will marshal forces next year. The Green movement has yet to make a serious dent in the conversation, and that's one area that's prime to be poked. Legal: They take years, but we are likely to see some initial rulings and decisions in 2024 that likely will be landmark rulings for AI. But the legal battles are just beginning, and the path to the US Supreme Court on some of these suits is likely, and that is rarely a fast path. Adoption and affordability: Agents use AI whenever they take a photo on their smartphone. Just watch the adoption rate in tech when AI finally delivers the promise of saving an agent time and money. AI is the Easy Button every agent has been asking for and will now be able to afford. The ROI for a real estate agent when it comes to new AI tech in 2024 should drive adoption to the point that AI next year will be ubiquitous. Hype vs. Table Stakes: If you set your Google Alerts to include all things AI-related to real estate, as I do, you know how your inbox has exploded this year as AI use exploded in the real estate sector. Just wait until 2024. The hype mode is about to hit warp speed. Fortunately, AI will be table stakes in 2024 so in many cases, AI is likely to live up to its hype. I'll stop here, but there are many more reasons that 2024 will be the Year of AI, and the overall benefits for real estate agents could be massive. That's as long as they remember author John Niasbitt's advice: "High tech/High touch." P.S. Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" just might be AI. That could even happen this year. AI Five Fast Facts More than half of all employees (54%) have no idea how their company is using AI. Companies using AI today estimate that 70% of their total workforce will use AI to automate or augment some of their job tasks by 2028. 75% of workers believe AI makes them more efficient, productive, and accurate. Globally, only 44% of employees believe they interact with AI in their personal lives. 62% of executives say they are at least slightly concerned that their company is not moving fast enough with AI. Source: UKG, a human resources and workforce firm AI Headlines Take 5 AI fakes are everywhere: here's how you can spot them | New York Post - 10/25/23How to avoid AI trying to trick you into buying something with a deep fake. AI Is Here To Stay As Real Estate Industry Shows Increased Signs Of Adoption | Realty Biz News - 10/23/23Real estate professionals and consumers are using AI more and more. 20 Jobs Artificial Intelligence Can't Replace | Yahoo! News - 10/23/23Is your job something AI can't do? Take a look at a new study. How Generative AI Will Change the Way You Use the Web, From Search to Shopping | The Wall Street Journal - 10/17/23Tech leaders from companies like OpenAI and Meta gather to discuss how AI will lead to seismic changes and put the $100 billion search industry up for grabs. Inside Apple's Big Plan to Bring Generative AI to All Its Devices | Bloomberg - 10/22/23Current generative AI runs on the cloud; Apple wants it to run on your iPhone. Huge. Quote of the week To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

Want to Know More About RPR? Take a Guided Tour
At RPR (Realtors Property Resource®), our single-minded goal is to help REALTORS® be better at everything they do. From daily transactional tasks to building a prospecting pipeline, everything RPR offers is centered around increasing agent productivity and profitability. We want to arm you with data, tools and reports. We want to help you unlock everything RPR has to offer. We want to guide you to greatness! We want to take you on a Guided Tour… What and where are RPR's Guided Tours? Perhaps you're a new agent or new to RPR. Or maybe you're a regular user of RPR, but you only use it for certain things. Either way, the Guided Tours are perfect ways to get introduced to and get familiar with RPR's core capabilities. When you log in to RPR and visit the home page, you'll see the lineup of Guided Tours (formerly called "Shortcuts") right underneath the main search bar. The residential Guided Tours include: Property Search, Prospecting, Market Trends, Map Search, Create, CMA, Create Reports and RPR Mobile™. Each Guided Tour is an interactive, step-by-step journey that will take you through the process of completing a task. When you click on a Guided Tour icon, you will be shown where to begin and as you finish each step, the system will guide you to the next. For example, if you click on "Market Trends," a magenta box will appear that will welcome you to the tour and tell you what steps are next and how to progress through them. You simply click your way through and follow the prompts to see how the feature works and to get a feel for the workflow. This online walkthrough (sort of a digital hand-holding) leads you through some of RPR's most popular offerings. Each tour is easy to follow, doesn't take too much time, and it's a smart way to get your feet wet and learn some new skills! Pro Tip: To exit a Guided Tour at any time, just click the "X" in the upper right corner. You can also collapse the Guided Tours menu altogether by clicking on the three vertical dots at the end of the menu, and then select Collapse card. RPR's Commercial Guided Tours On the RPR home page, flip the toggle to "Commercial," and the Guided Tours will change accordingly. Here's what it looks like: The Commercial Guided Tours are Property Search, Map Insights, Site Selection, Research Trade Areas, Investor Analysis, Create Reports and Prospecting. The tours and the process work exactly the same as the residential versions. Want more? Take the tour… What are you waiting for? Go to the RPR website, click on one of the Guided Tours and enjoy the ride! You'll learn the ins and outs of helpful RPR features and unlock new capabilities that can make you a stronger, more skilled real estate professional. RPR offers REALTORS® unparalleled access to data, analytics and tools. And now, we're offering Guided Tours so our users can learn more and use RPR to its fullest! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

4 Interesting Ways Top Producers Use Their CRMS (That You Might Not Be Doing)
Most agents use some kind of a CRM, whether that's a spreadsheet where they keep a contact list and track activity, or a sophisticated platform built specifically for real estate agents. And even though agents know that they should be leveraging these tools to help them generate more business (and more income), many of them seem to be doing so … somewhat halfheartedly. That's what new WAV Group research indicates, at any rate. The group surveyed agents, split responses according to production level, and then analyzed the big differences separating top-producing agents, who close more than 30 deals every year, with agents who close fewer deals than that. The big takeaways? Agents who produce more are using their CRMs a little bit differently than agents who produce less. Here are some ways you might consider tweaking your own CRM use in order to join that top echelon of sellers. 1. Choose Something and Stick With It Everyone in real estate has heard of "shiny object syndrome." While it's a good thing to be on the lookout for potential improvements in the products you're using, that's not a great philosophy to have when it comes to working with a CRM. One big thing that sets top producers aside from agents who don't close as many deals is that they have been using their CRMs, on average, for longer. This indicates that they are switching platforms less frequently than lower-producing agents. If you use something for a long time, you get to know its quirks and abilities much better than if you're constantly swapping it out for something new. Of course, it makes sense to look for a new CRM if yours can't do what you need it to, but oftentimes that's a user issue, not a software issue. 2. Take Some Classes (Preferably Time-Bound) A real estate CRM is a notoriously complicated piece of software, and for every feature it adds, the users will need a bit of training around how to best deploy the feature. If you never took the opportunity to take an in-person or live online training around how to use your CRM and everything it can do to bring in more business, there is no time like the present! Top-producing agents are significantly more likely to say that they invested time and energy in learning how to use their CRM, either at a live in-person training, or through online training that is time-bound. On-demand videos can also be good options, but don't forget: You'll need to actually watch them and pay attention to them in order to get anything out of them! 3. Use Your CRM Every Day When asked how often they use their CRM, the top producers in the survey were significantly more likely to use their CRM multiple times a day, or at least once every day. And when markets start to shift and tighten, they are more likely to report investing even more time into their CRM activities. Some CRMs offer lists of priority activities and potential clients to tackle or reach out to every day. Whether or not you need that feature, it can be a good jumping-off point for training yourself to use the platform every day, no matter what. 4. Focus on One-On-One Conversations Instead of Blasts Another interesting and significant way in which top producers differ from lower-producing agents in their CRM usage is the specific activities they focus on when they are using their CRM. Agents who aren't closing as many deals tend to be somewhat all over the place when it comes to their CRM usage: In other words, they're trying a little bit of everything, and they might not be entirely sure about what's really working and what's not. By contrast, top producers are more likely to use their CRM to facilitate and track one-to-one text message or phone conversations with their prospects. They're doing this more than email blasts or other marketing tactics that a CRM supports. (Top producers are still using email blast features, to be clear, but they're also focusing more relentlessly on those individual outreach opportunities.) Don't know what to share in those private conversations? Consider using RPR to generate a CMA for any homeowners in your network, or for buyers who might be interested in a specific property. The platform has almost endless opportunities for generating specific market data for the people in your sphere. If you don't have a CRM, it's time to get one. And if you do, and you're not using it like a top producer, then maybe some of these tips will help generate more leads (and more business) for you, which is exactly what a CRM should be doing. Happy prospecting! Next Steps Read more articles about CRMs Explore CRM solutions in our Product Directory

Stay Ahead of the Game: Embracing technology in the real estate industry
In today's digital age, staying ahead of the curve and effectively leveraging technology is crucial for staying competitive and maximizing your potential as a real estate professional. But are you truly harnessing the power of technology to its fullest extent? In this post, we'll explore the various ways technology can amplify your real estate business and provide you with practical insights on how to integrate it seamlessly into your day-to-day operations. Whether you're a seasoned real estate professional or just starting, this article will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to make the most out of the technological advancements available to you. Let's dive in! Gaining a competitive advantage with technology By embracing technology, you can boost your productivity and effectiveness, ultimately leading to greater success. Here are some techniques that leading brokerages are using to thrive in the digital age. Be visible online In the current era of digital technology, real estate brands need to have a strong online presence. The industry may be hyperlocal, but being visible and searchable online is still crucial. Start by optimizing your website, but don't stop there. A comprehensive digital footprint includes strategies for directories, social media, link building and conversion optimization. Make sure potential clients can easily find and engage with your business online. The National Association of Realtors reports 96% of buyers used online tools when searching for a home. Lead generation Lead generation has become a vital aspect of a successful real estate business. While relationships remain important, the digital transformation has shifted the focus to the customer. Platforms like Trulia, Homes for Heroes and Realtor.com have gained popularity by prioritizing consumer-centric experiences. Consider using cost-effective and highly targeted options like Google Ads to drive conversions on your website. Ads can provide a high return on investment when managed properly. Create the ultimate listing Use tools like iGUIDE to create 3D tours and accurate floorplans. iGUIDE is an innovative technology that allows real estate agents and photographers to create comprehensive and immersive property listings. With iGUIDE, you can provide potential buyers with an accurate floorplan and interactive virtual property tour giving viewers a sense of actually being there. iGUIDE is your 24/7 virtual open house! By incorporating iGUIDE into your listings, you can give buyers a realistic sense of the property's layout and features, allowing them to visualize themselves living in the space. This can significantly increase the chances of generating interest and ultimately closing a sale. By leveraging technology effectively, real estate professionals can stay ahead in a competitive market. Embrace the digital revolution, generate leads through various channels and use an online hosting tool like iGUIDE to create the ultimate listing experience. For more information about iGUIDE and its benefits, connect with an iGUIDE Specialist today. With the right technology, you can thrive as a realtor in the modern age. To view the original article, visit the iGuide blog. Thank you to iGuide for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

The Power of Real Estate Podcasting: Building Your Voice in the Industry
Hey there, real estate aficionados! Ready to take your expertise to the next level and dominate the industry? Well, we've got just the trick up our sleeves — real estate podcasting! Grab your mics and let's dive into the wonderful world of podcasting, where your voice becomes your biggest asset. Why Podcasting? Imagine yourself in traffic or out for a run and wishing you could be doing something useful and learning something new. Guess what, though? Your prospective customers share this sentiment! Real estate agents can connect with their audience in a convenient and interesting way through podcasts. Podcasting can open doors you never knew existed, whether you're an experienced agent or a fresh-faced rookie! Finding Your Voice Now, before you begin to picture yourself as the upcoming podcasting sensation, keep in mind that finding your voice is essential. Your podcast should showcase your style, knowledge, and enthusiasm for real estate. Talk honestly, share your experiences, and use humor to make it enjoyable. When you're genuine, your listeners will trust you, and that trust will eventually translate into more leads and conversions. Connecting with Your Audience The ability of podcasting to forge a close connection with your audience is one of its magical qualities. Real estate agents also sell aspirations and dreams in addition to actual properties. Share motivational client success stories, offer insightful market analysis, and deal with common issues. Engaging with your listeners fosters loyalty and converts them into brand ambassadors who recommend your podcast to their friends and family and, eventually, your products. Guests Galore You can work together with other real estate professionals by podcasting. Guests for your show should include mortgage brokers, interior designers, and home stagers. Cross-promotion broadens your network while also giving your content more variety. Additionally, guests bring their listeners with them, which exposes your podcast to a larger audience. Getting Techy Tech newbies need not worry! Access to podcasts is better than ever. A good microphone, a computer, and podcast hosting services are all you need. The process is made simple by platforms and editing tools like Audacity, GarageBand, and Anchor. Don't be intimidated by the technical side because what matters most is your voice! Are There Opportunities for Real Estate Agents? Of course! Beyond building your voice in the industry, podcasting offers a treasure trove of opportunities for real estate agents. Let's explore some of them: Lead Generation - Potential customers may be drawn to your podcast. You establish yourself as a market authority by consistently offering insightful content. When they are prepared to buy or sell their properties, listeners who trust your advice are more likely to get in touch with you. Niche Dominance - Does your real estate business specialize in luxury properties, commercial spaces, or first-time homebuyers? Use your podcast to showcase your expertise in your chosen niche. This focused approach will attract like-minded clients who are seeking specialized services. Networking and Partnerships - Other business professionals will come to you naturally as you establish a strong podcast presence. Create deep connections with them so you can form profitable alliances. Collaborations can broaden your reach even more by co-hosting events or exchanging referrals. Brand Awareness - Podcasting gives your brand a voice, allowing you to create a memorable and recognizable identity. By promoting your podcast across various platforms, you elevate your visibility and gain recognition among potential clients and industry peers. Monetization - While the main goal of podcasting is to add value for your listeners, it can also generate income. You can look into sponsorships, advertising, or even premium content options once your podcast has a sizable audience. To conclude, real estate podcasting is a powerhouse tool that can propel your career to new heights. With a sprinkle of personality, a dash of expertise, and a touch of tech know-how, you can create a captivating podcast that draws in a loyal audience. As you share your knowledge and passion, you'll build your voice in the industry, paving the way for success. So, gear up, fellow agents, and let your voice reverberate through the airwaves of the real estate world. Embrace the magic of podcasting, and watch your business bloom like never before! Happy podcasting! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

Unlock the Secret to Keeping Clients
Welcome back to our "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" series, which highlights articles around a monthly theme. October's theme is "Never Lose Another Client." Read on for tips and tricks on maintaining long-term relationships with your clients: In the competitive world of real estate, keeping clients happy and loyal is essential. Rental Beast offers tools to help you maintain strong client relationships and reduce the risk of losing them: Swift Lead Responses Client retention often hinges on how quickly you respond to inquiries. If you respond to a new lead within the first minute, your likelihood of contacting them increases by over 200%. Having an automatic lead response system set up to dispatch an email as soon as a lead enters your pipeline is critical. Rental Beast users can set up a customizable rapid response using the client communications tool to improve the chances of retaining clients. You can also set up reminders and be CC'd to ensure you stay on top of contacting leads. Tailored Qualification Questions Qualifying your lead as soon as they come in helps understand a client's needs, which is the foundation of exceptional service. You can proactively guide them toward the ideal property or determine if they qualify as a buyer, giving them confidence in your abilities as a real estate professional and strengthening your client-agent relationship. The Rental Beast client communications system lets you send a qualifying questionnaire to the lead as soon as they come through, allowing you to determine the best path forward for your first contact. It also allows you to take notes and keep a digital record of past communications so you don't have to track them manually, saving you time and money. Lease Renewals That Work for You Staying on top of lease renewals allows you to reconnect with the renter and the property owner. If your client is not renewing their lease, you can help them find a new place and the property owner find a new renter. According to a report by the National Association of REALTORS®, 89% of homebuyers would use their agent again or recommend them to others. By maintaining relationships with those renters, once the lease renewal date comes around, it may be time to buy a home, giving you the perfect opportunity to check in with them. Adding your clients and their lease dates to the Rental Beast platform sets you up for automatic reminders and success. Start using Rental Beast today to refine your client retention strategies and witness its positive impact on your real estate business.

Winning Over Sellers: Mastering CMAs and Equity Updates with the RPR App
There's no denying that we live in a mobile-first world. We demand flexibility and convenience across all facets of life, including the world of real estate. That's where the RPR (Realtors Property Resource®) Mobile™ app comes into its own. Readily available at your fingertips when you're out meeting clients or previewing properties, it makes once complex tasks—like creating a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) or Estimating Equity—a breeze. Let's see how these tools work and how easy they are to use… Creating CMAs with RPR Mobile™ A CMA helps you formulate an ideal selling price or a competitive buying offer. But why use your phone for this? Simple! With the RPR app, you can compile a detailed CMA right on the spot. There's no need to head back to the office or reach for your laptop. Let's explore how to easily and efficiently create a CMA using your RPR app: 1. Begin the CMA: From the RPR app, tap on the magnify icon and enter the subject property address. Then once the property loads, tap Reports and then, and select Create CMA. An alternative way is from the property search results, scroll to find Pricing Tools and select Create CMA as well. 2. Confirm Property Details: View public and listing facts about your subject property. If you find any data missing or incorrect, simply tap on Your Changes, make the necessary adjustments and save. When you're complete, tap Confirm. 3. Choose Comparables: From the menu near top of the screen, select either List or Map. This allows you to choose an interface best suited to pick properties comparable to yours. The map view will allow you to zoom into specific areas. To search a larger area, tap Remove Boundary. You can also use filters to refine your selection based on type, status, property characteristics or keywords. 4. Add Comparables: Go ahead and tap Add for all properties that match your criteria from either the map-pin view or listed view. Tap Next when complete. 5. Review and Adjust Comparables: Now comes an important part—reviewing selected comparables. Swipe left or right on each listed comparable property to view its details. If a property doesn't fit, simply tap Remove. You can reorder listings as well using the drop-down menu placed above each listing's photo. Also, use the sliding scale to adjust how each comparable measures up against your subject property. Here's also where you can add essential notes about individual comparables, including specific features or data points that can impact property valuation. 6. Report Delivery: Time to finalize your report. Check the generated price, price range and tap Edit if any changes are needed. Choosing the delivery method is as easy as a tap–select to email it or have the report downloaded. Calculating Estimated Equity with RPR Mobile™ Apart from generating on-the-spot CMAs, RPR Mobile™ also arms you with another impactful tool: the Estimated Equity Calculator. Homeownership is not just about possessing property—it doubles up as a significant financial asset. The value encapsulated in homes, termed "equity," can shape one's financial health dramatically. As a REALTOR® utilizing this Estimated Equity feature offered by RPR, your insights could become eye-openers for homeowners. To get started and quickly provide insight into your client's financial standing, select a subject property and navigate to the Pricing Tools section, just below the CMA. If you've completed a CMA, that value will be entered in the Property Value field, otherwise, it's the RVM® (Realtors Valuation Model®) value. Next, you'll add loan details or confirm the pre-filled loan data. Then it's just a quick tap on Create Report to generate the Estimated Equity Report. Keep in mind that the Estimated Equity Calculator is just that: an estimate. It should be viewed as an initial step and its purpose is to arouse curiosity and start conversations. Use it as a way to enlighten potential sellers, get their contact info, and set up another meeting. Financial Benefits of High-Equity Homeownership Discussing equity with potential clients is a smart "foot in the door" type of strategy. Don't be afraid to pull out your phone, with the RPR app of course, and zero in on that magic number. It can be a great conversation starter, because being a high-equity homeowner brings many benefits, including: It allows for an unburdened house shopping experience, less dependent on loans. For those still seeking financing for their new home, high equity contributes towards lower monthly payments and better loan terms. Homeowners approaching or enjoying retirement years can find comfort in their home equity—providing them with stable financial support when required. Use the RPR app to build CMAs, estimate equity and reap the rewards RPR Mobile™ is an indispensable tool for ambitious agents, as it simplifies complex tasks like generating CMAs or estimating equity on-the-go. Its utility extends beyond these tasks by bridging informational gaps between REALTORS® and consumers, fostering transparent transactions backed by reliable data. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog. Thank you to RPR for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

Home Trends: What's In (and Out) for 2024
Get ready, #hometok. Zillow is unveiling its data-driven predictions for the features and design elements poised to transform homes and dominate social media feeds in 2024. From the raw appeal of brutalist design (concrete floors, anyone?) to the delicate artistry of Murano glass chandeliers, these emerging home trends highlight new post-pandemic pastimes and a nostalgia for the design of decades past. To discern these trends, Zillow looked at nearly 300 home features and design styles mentioned in for-sale listing descriptions, then identified the keywords showing up far more frequently than a year ago. "When certain keywords appear in a rising share of listings, it's a signal that today's home buyers may be gravitating toward those features," said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert. "Real estate agents are uniquely attuned to subtle changes in what buyers want, and they often get a first look at the latest and greatest features going into newly built homes. Savvy listing agents will highlight those trending, in-demand features when marketing a home for sale." It is important to note that while the share of listings mentioning a particular trend may be growing, the absolute percentage of listings that mention these features remains very low. That's why Zillow included expert analysis along with changes in listing keyword frequency to identify the six home trends poised to make waves in the new year, and three trends heading out of style. Trends to watch in 2024 Brutalism Characterized by raw, exposed materials, this mid-20th-century design style is primed to continue its controversial comeback in 2024. Zillow has seen a 452% increase in the share of for-sale listings mentioning brutalist design. Brutalist-inspired features, such as blackened steel casement windows, raw concrete floors and jagged patinated bronze light fixtures, read as modern, functional and sustainable. This style's stripped-back interiors act as a blank canvas, making them appealing to minimalists or to creative homeowners who want to furnish them according to their personal style. Those who aren't quite ready to embrace this stark style can bring in accessories such as wrought iron candleholders and tarnished brass trays to give their home a subtle edge. Sensory gardens or pathways Sensory gardens have been surging in popularity on Zillow, with homeowners and home buyers prioritizing functional and beautiful outdoor space as a way to reconnect with nature. Listings mentioning sensory gardens or pathways are up 314% compared to last year. Sensory gardens are designed to engage all five senses and are believed to have therapeutic benefits. They incorporate a variety of plants, textures, colors, scents, sounds and edible elements, such as herbs or produce. Cold plunge pools Move over, hot tubs. Cold plunge pools are the hottest wellness trend of 2024, touted by influencers as a way to improve circulation and reduce inflammation. The share of listings on Zillow that feature an at-home cold plunge pool is up 130% compared to last year. Once an invigorating amenity reserved for spas and luxury listings, DIY-friendly cold plunge tubs are making this wellness practice accessible to almost anyone looking for a quick endorphin boost and adrenaline rush. Pickleball courts Game on! This fast-paced paddle sport is becoming a sought-after amenity in backyards and neighborhoods. In New York City, StreetEasy is seeing a 100% increase in the share of for-sale listings highlighting a home's proximity to public or private pickleball courts. Nationwide, pickleball mentions are up 64% on Zillow compared to last year. "Pickleball courts have become a great selling feature because they appeal to athletes of all ages," said Joy Kim Metalios, a Zillow Premier Agent partner in Fairfield County, Connecticut. "I've seen homeowners converting their driveways into courts by using portable nets. Players with ultra-luxury homes are painting new pickleball lines on their sport courts or tennis courts. Since pickleball is such a social sport, an at-home court has become the latest entertaining feature, like an outdoor kitchen or a pizza oven." Murano glass chandeliers Classic Murano glass chandeliers are the ultimate bespoke light fixture. These handcrafted pieces of art from the island of Murano in Italy are reemerging as a designer favorite, channeling the glamor of decades past. These intricate, quirky and often colorful fixtures are now being featured 58% more often in listings on Zillow. Murals Homeowners and home buyers are saying goodbye to bland in favor of personality-packed homes. Eclectic, maximalist interiors are increasingly featuring statement-making murals that dial up the drama in a living room, dining room or bedroom. Murals are showing up 18% more often in for-sale homes on Zillow, and they're more accessible than ever. Wallpaper murals are now readily available and depict all types of scenes, from large-scale landscapes to modern botanicals. Trends heading out in 2024 Shou sugi ban Shou sugi ban is a traditional Japanese wood preservation technique that involves charring the wood's surface to create a blackened, weathered finish. This type of burnt-wood cladding became a mainstay of modern farmhouse design, creating a visually striking contrast against white shiplap siding. But like shiplap, barn doors and other farmhouse fads, shou sugi ban planks may be heading out to pasture, too. There are 69% fewer for-sale listings featuring this design element on Zillow compared to last year. The 'cloffice' The pandemic sparked many trends — some lasting (more athleisure, please!) and others short-lived (bye-bye, bread baking). The "cloffice" appears to be among the latter. This office space created out of a closet was a trend that grew out of necessity as remote workers living in tight quarters became desperate for a quiet place to take Zoom meetings. While some talented do-it-yourselfers were able to create beautiful, well-designed workspaces, others discovered that spending their workday in a closet was less than inspiring. Combined with the return-to-office movement, the cloffice is now appearing in 54% fewer Zillow listings. Zoom rooms are also down, by 41%, and office sheds are highlighted 31% less frequently in listing descriptions. Tuscan kitchen Wanderlust and pop culture sensations (ahem, "The White Lotus") sparked a wave of destination design during the pandemic. Spaces inspired by past or aspirational travels began trending as homeowners were hunkered down at home. Now that homeowners can set off on global adventures again, they may no longer be seeking Mediterranean villa vibes at home. Mentions of Tuscan kitchens are down 45% from a year ago, while all things Parisian are down 26%. Related Reading Research-backed Remodeling Ideas that Net a Higher Sales Price The ROI of Renovations: Explaining the Financial Potential of Renovating Before Selling Staging the Exterior of Your Home for Real Estate Photography

[Podcast] Recruiting Good People to Your Real Estate Team with Austin Glass
Austin Glass is a Founding Partner of Mint Real Estate. He has a background in residential and commercial real estate, and flourished in customer service and sales before that. In this episode of Real Talk with Realtors, hear how to find the right people for your real estate team, figure out who you don't need, determine when to expand your team, establish core values, and document your processes. This episode covers everything from hiring to writing SOPs. Here's a small sample of what you will hear in this episode: How do you recruit people for your real estate team? What does Austin look for when interviewing agents? Has he had to let anybody go? What can go wrong with recruiting? When is the right time to expand your team? Why should an executive assistant be your first hire? Does Mint have a library of SOPs? What should you be asking yourself if you're being recruited? Connect with Austin at MintRealEstate.com. Check out the episode and show notes for much more detail. Listen on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Visit the episode homepage for show notes and more detail.

10 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Use Facebook to Promote Their Services
In today's digital age, the real estate landscape has evolved dramatically. Gone are the days of relying solely on traditional marketing methods like yard signs and newspaper ads. Instead, savvy real estate agents are turning to social media platforms like Facebook to promote their services and connect with potential clients in innovative ways. If you're a real estate agent looking to expand your online presence and boost your business, read on to discover how Facebook can be your secret weapon! 1. Create a Captivating Facebook Page Making an interesting and professional Facebook page is the first step in your journey into the world of Facebook real estate promotion. This will act as your online storefront, giving prospective customers the crucial first impression. Use a professional headshot as your profile picture and a tasteful picture of the place you're representing for your cover photo. Give specific details about your knowledge, credentials, and the areas you serve in the "About" section of your page. To build trust online, keep in mind that transparency and clarity are essential. Don't forget to include your contact information so that potential customers can easily get in touch with you. 2. Consistent Posting for Brand Building When it comes to keeping an active presence on Facebook, consistency is the key. Create a content schedule that combines real estate listings, market-related articles, behind-the-scenes looks at your business, and client success stories. Use captivating subtitles and attention-grabbing images to draw viewers in. Don't be afraid to show off your individuality; sincerity can attract customers in a big manner. To keep your readership interested and informed, try to post at least once or twice per week. 3. Harness the Power of Facebook Ads For real estate agents, Facebook's advertising platform opens up a world of possibilities. You can target your ads to particular interests and even individuals who have recently interacted with content about real estate. Ads for your available properties, upcoming open houses, or informational articles about the home-buying procedure might be considered. The ability to create visually stunning and informative carousel ads is one of the unique features of Facebook ads. These let you display numerous images of a building while emphasizing its salient features. Describe the property's distinctive selling points in compelling copy, and include a clear call to action encouraging interested buyers to contact you. 4. Live Virtual Tours Utilize live virtual tours as part of your Facebook marketing plan to provide prospective buyers with a compelling experience. You can live-stream tours of the properties you have listed using a smartphone or camera, allowing viewers to ask questions in real time. This interactive approach not only keeps your audience interested, but it also establishes you as a tech-savvy agent who goes above and beyond to meet the needs of their clients. Additionally, virtual tours make it simple for busy people or out-of-town buyers to view properties from the comfort of their homes. 5. Engage with Your Audience Don't let your Facebook page become a one-way street. Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and questions promptly. Building a responsive and friendly online presence can go a long way in fostering trust and building relationships. You can also join local real estate groups or community pages on Facebook. Share your expertise by answering questions and participating in discussions. Being a helpful resource within your community not only positions you as an expert but also creates opportunities for networking. 6. Use Facebook Analytics to Fine-Tune Your Strategy The ability to monitor your efforts and gauge their effectiveness is one of the best things about digital marketing. Facebook offers a comprehensive suite of analytics tools that let you learn more about the actions of your audience and the effectiveness of your posts and advertisements. Review these analytics frequently to determine what is and is not working. Are certain post types receiving more interaction? Do certain demographics respond to your ads more favorably? For maximum impact, use this information to fine-tune your content and advertising strategy. 7. Collaborate with Local Influencers Consider partnering with local influencers or real estate bloggers to amplify your reach. These individuals often have dedicated followings who trust their recommendations. By collaborating with them, you can tap into their audience and gain credibility in the process. Whether it's a joint Facebook Live session discussing the local real estate market or having them share your property listings, influencer partnerships can be a game-changer in expanding your online presence. 8. Showcase Your Expertise Through Facebook Live Q&A Sessions By running Facebook Live Q&A sessions, you can establish yourself as an industry authority. Select timely subjects like "First-Time Homebuyer Tips" or "Navigating the Seller's Market," and encourage the audience to pose questions live. These presentations not only demonstrate your expertise but also give your audience members useful information. To encourage attendance, advertise these sessions in advance and think about providing rewards like no-cost home assessments or special access to real estate listings. 9. Encourage Client Testimonials and Reviews Positive reviews and testimonials from satisfied clients can be a potent marketing tool. Encourage your past clients to leave reviews on your Facebook page. Share these testimonials on your timeline to build trust with potential clients who may be considering your services. Respond to reviews, whether positive or negative, professionally and constructively. Address any concerns raised by clients to demonstrate your commitment to exceptional customer service. 10. Stay Updated with Facebook's Features Facebook is continuously evolving, introducing new features and tools that can enhance your real estate marketing efforts. Stay informed about these updates and adapt your strategy accordingly. For example, consider using Facebook Marketplace to showcase your listings, or explore Facebook Groups for real estate enthusiasts. The more you leverage these features, the more your visibility and engagement can grow. In conclusion, Facebook has become an indispensable tool for real estate agents looking to promote their services effectively in the digital age. By creating an engaging Facebook page, consistently posting valuable content, using Facebook ads, and embracing innovative features like live virtual tours, you can unlock new opportunities and build lasting relationships with clients. With a strategic and authentic approach, you'll be well on your way to Facebook success in the competitive world of real estate. Happy promoting! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

The Ultimate Guide to Sitemaps for Real Estate Websites
A sitemap is a file that lists all of the important pages on your website, along with additional information about each page. Sitemaps are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they help search engines crawl and index your website more effectively. This can lead to improved search engine rankings and increased organic traffic and can be helpful in fixing indexing issues. An optimized sitemap is especially important for real estate websites, which can often be large and complex. A well-structured sitemap can help search engines understand the hierarchy of your website and the relationships between different pages. This can make it easier for search engines to find and rank the most important pages on your website. What is a sitemap and why is it important for real estate websites? A sitemap is a file that provides a roadmap of your website's structure to search engines. It lists all the pages on your website, including their URLs, and can include additional information such as the last modified date and the frequency of changes. By providing this information, a sitemap helps search engines understand the organization of your website and its content. For real estate websites, which often have a large number of pages and listings, a sitemap is crucial. These websites typically have various categories such as property types, locations, and price ranges. Without a well-structured sitemap, search engines may struggle to navigate through the complex web of pages, potentially missing important content. An optimized sitemap ensures that search engines can easily crawl and index all relevant pages, improving the visibility of your real estate website in search engine results. How an optimized sitemap improves search engine visibility Sitemaps play a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of search engine crawling and indexing processes for your website. Search engines employ crawlers to navigate the internet and discover new web pages. By providing a clear roadmap of your website, sitemaps facilitate the crawlers in locating and indexing all of your pages effectively. Moreover, sitemaps aid search engines in comprehending the structure and hierarchy of your website. They enable you to indicate the relative importance of different pages on your website and establish the relationships between them. This valuable information assists search engines in gaining a better understanding of your website's content and ranking it more accurately in search results. Furthermore, sitemaps serve as a means for search engines to identify and rectify any indexing errors. When a search engine accesses your sitemap, it promptly detects any errors such as broken links or missing pages. This allows you to promptly address these issues, thereby contributing to the overall quality of your website. Additionally, sitemaps facilitate communication between you and search engines regarding any changes made to your website. If you add or remove pages from your website, updating your sitemap to reflect these changes is essential. This ensures that search engines maintain an up-to-date index of your website, enabling them to promptly crawl and index your new or updated pages. Best practices for creating an optimized sitemap for real estate websites Creating an optimized sitemap requires careful planning and attention to detail. Here are some best practices to consider when creating a sitemap for your real estate website: 1. Organize your sitemap by categories and subcategories To make it easier for search engines to understand the structure of your real estate website, organize your sitemap by categories and subcategories. For example, you could have categories for property types (e.g., houses, apartments, condos), locations (e.g., cities, neighborhoods), and price ranges. Within each category, create subcategories if necessary to further refine the hierarchy of your sitemap. 2. Include all relevant pages and listings Ensure that your sitemap includes all relevant pages and listings on your real estate website. This includes property detail pages, search result pages, blog posts, and any other content that you want search engines to index. Remember to update your sitemap whenever you add new pages or remove old ones to keep it accurate and up to date. 3. Optimize your URLs When creating URLs for your real estate website, use descriptive and keyword-rich terms. This not only helps search engines understand the content of your pages but also improves the user experience. Avoid using generic and meaningless URLs, such as "www.example.com/page1," and instead opt for URLs like "www.example.com/houses-for-sale-in-new-york-city." 4. Use XML sitemap format XML (Extensible Markup Language) is the preferred format for sitemaps. XML sitemaps are easy for search engines to read and understand, and they provide additional information such as the last modified date and the priority of each page. Use a sitemap generator tool or a content management system (CMS) plugin to automatically generate and update your XML sitemap. Once you have created and optimized your sitemap, it's important to submit it to search engines. Here's how you can do it: How to submit your sitemap to search engines Submitting your sitemap to search engines is a crucial step in optimizing your real estate website. By doing so, you can ensure that search engines are aware of all the pages on your website and can index them properly. Here are some steps to follow when submitting your sitemap: 1. Generate a sitemap: The first step is to generate a sitemap for your real estate website. There are several tools available that can help you create a sitemap automatically. One popular option is to use a plugin if you're using a content management system like WordPress. These plugins can generate a sitemap for you and update it automatically whenever you add or remove pages from your website. If you are using the Realtyna WPL Platform, you can use the WPL Sitemap Feature to add your listing to your sitemap. 2. Verify your website: Before you can submit your sitemap, you need to verify that you are the owner of the website. This is done by adding a verification code or file to your website. The process for verification may vary depending on the search engine you are using. For example, if you're using Google Search Console, you can verify your website by adding a meta tag or uploading an HTML file to your website's root directory. 3. Submit it to search engines. Here's how you can do it: Google Search Console - To submit your sitemap to Google, first, create a Google Search Console account if you haven't already. Verify ownership of your real estate website, and then navigate to the "Sitemaps" section. Enter the URL of your sitemap (e.g., "www.example.com/sitemap.xml") and click on the "Submit" button. Google will then start crawling and indexing your website based on the information provided in your sitemap. Bing Webmaster Tools - Bing Webmaster Tools is a similar platform to Google Search Console, but for Bing search engine. Sign in or create an account, and then add and verify your real estate website. Navigate to the "Sitemaps" section and enter the URL of your sitemap. Click on the "Submit" button to submit your sitemap to Bing for crawling and indexing. Monitoring and updating your sitemap for optimal performance Creating an optimized sitemap is not a one-time task. Real estate SEO experts regularly monitor and update sitemap to ensure optimal performance. Here are a few tips: 1. Regularly check for errors Use the tools and plugins mentioned earlier to regularly check for any errors or issues with your sitemap. This includes broken links, missing pages, and any other issues that may prevent search engines from properly crawling and indexing your real estate website. Fix any errors promptly to maintain a healthy sitemap. 2. Monitor search engine performance Keep an eye on your real estate website's performance in search engine results. Monitor your organic traffic, rankings, and click-through rates to identify any changes or trends that may indicate issues with your sitemap or overall SEO strategy. Make adjustments as necessary to improve your website's visibility and performance. 3. Update your sitemap when necessary As your real estate website evolves, you may add new pages, remove old ones, or make changes to existing content. It's important to update your sitemap whenever such changes occur to reflect the current state of your website. This ensures that search engines have the most up-to-date information about your real estate listings and pages. Most of the SEO plugins will automatically update the sitemap when anything happens to pages. 3. Do not add No-index pages to your sitemap Sitemaps should include URLs that are Do-index, if you are using a robot meta tag to disallow Google bots to crawl your pages, you should not add these pages to your sitemap, otherwise, you will an error in Google Search Console. Conclusion: The importance of an optimized sitemap for real estate websites In conclusion, an optimized sitemap is a valuable asset for real estate websites. It improves search engine visibility and more. By following best practices and using the right tools and plugins, you can create and optimize a sitemap that helps your real estate website rank higher in search engine results. As a real estate SEO expert, I recommend you don't underestimate the power of a well-structured sitemap in maximizing the potential of your real estate website. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Stand Out in the Crowd: Personalize Your RPR Reports with Custom Pages
Standing out in the real estate industry is a necessity rather than a luxury. And one tool that ensures you do just that is RPR's (Realtors Property Resource®) custom page feature. This valuable tool not only helps you fine-tune your RPR reports, it also allows you to leave a lasting personal impression. How to add customized pages to your RPR Reports Implementing this tool is straightforward. By navigating to the Reports tab on RPR's website, and selecting Manage Custom Pages, you can upload up to five PDF files, which can be easily positioned anywhere within your report thanks to RPR's flexible user interface. Now, let's delve deeper into the various ways this standard-setting customization tool can transform your personal brand: Your Professional Identity Highlighting your qualifications, certifications and specialized skills gives clients insight into your professional prowess. Personal testimonials or reviews from past clients inserted into your custom pages can serve as powerful references, further enhancing client trust. Your Successful Track Record Sharing details about sold properties, awards and recognitions received paints a picture of success. Also consider spotlighting exceptional transactions where you overcame significant hurdles—these stories tell more about what you bring to the table than numbers ever could. Your Team's Strengths and Collaborative Approach If collaborative effort defines your operations, displaying profiles or skills of team members gives clients an idea of the collective capabilities they're hiring. Reports of successful collaborations on past transactions could seal the deal. Your Client-Centric Approach Proactively addressing common questions shows dedication to transparency and client understanding. Including resources that explain buying/selling processes simply further demonstrates your readiness to guide them through their real estate journey. Community and Local Expertise Are you actively involved in local community events? Do you have insightful knowledge of local neighborhoods or property trends? Sharing these local-focused insights emphasizes your commitment to both community and industry growth. Custom pages can also be uniquely tailored to varying types of clients: For Sellers Sharing your unique selling strategies helps to build trust, reinforcing the feeling that they're in capable hands. Including staging tips provides a glimpse into your expertise, reassuring sellers about their sale's potential success. For Buyers Providing a glimpse into potential neighborhoods could save buyers hours of research. A guide specifically created for first-time buyers simplifies the purchasing process, easing any worries they may have. For Investors Supplying case study pages introduces investors to real-life instances of your previous successful ventures. By presenting these successful stories, you help them comprehend your effective strategies. This sort of confirmation helps them make confident investment decisions. Adding custom pages to reports sets you apart from a crowded field Are you beginning to see how using RPR's custom page feature can turn the tables in your favor, propelling both you and your clients toward success? It's really about understanding what your clients are looking for and then serving it to them pre-packaged and tied with a bow. So go ahead, give it a shot — you're already one step ahead of the game by reading this article. You've got this! To view the original article, visit the RPR blog. Thank you to RPR for sponsoring this article on RE Technology! Related reading 5 RPR Report Customizations You May Not Be Using RPR Reports: Easy to Create, Hard to Duplicate 1-Minute Lesson on How to Add Custom Pages to RPR Reports

8 Tips to Consider at Real Estate Networking Events
The purpose of a networking event is to meet people. In an industry that is wildly competitive, sometimes all it takes is knowing the right person. Like any other marketing tactic, networking can drastically improve the success of your business. If you don't like getting out of your office to meet people, then you're in the wrong industry. Here are eight items to consider while at a real estate networking event: Be early Being early to a networking event gives you a chance to not only chat with the organizers of the event before they are bombarded by other people, but it also gives you the opportunity to talk with any other early birds in a less chaotic environment. Additionally, who doesn't like a real estate agent that is prompt to their scheduled events and meetings? Being early reflects well on your time management skills, which is wildly important in an industry where deadlines are crucial to success and happy clients. Be yourself You are who you are. Don't try to put on an act because eventually your true colors will shine through. In life, you are not always going to mesh well with everyone. The same can be said for people you will work with in the real estate industry. Being true to who you are will bring you more success in the long run than being fake in order to get business. If your prospective clients don't like you for who you are, then it is their loss! SMILE Have you ever been to an event where there is one person in the room that is completely straight faced and doesn't crack a smile the entire time he/she is there? I'm sure it looked like they were in agony being there. Don't be that person! Smiling lets people know that you are friendly and gives them a signal that it is okay to come and chat with you. When you smile, you give people good vibes which can greatly improve your success at networking. Don't overdo social events Networking events are supposed to be fun, but they are also professional events. Don't be that agent that is out of control because you enjoyed the open bar. Your goal is to conduct yourself in a professional manner, while also being somewhat casual and approachable so that you are able to make connections with others. My point — know your limit. Start conversations Engage with others so that they will engage back with you! If you are just going to stand there looking awkward and miserable, it is unlikely that anyone will come and talk to you. Get out of your comfort zone and start a conversation with someone new. Everyone that you meet has the potential to help your business so make the time you spend networking count. Get off your phone If you are going to spend your time sitting on your phone, you might as well go home. When you are on your phone, it gives people the impression that you don't care about the purpose of the event and that you don't want to talk to anyone. Put your phone away and engage with people face to face. Collect business cards Every business card that you collect is a potential lead for you. Maybe not right at this moment, but at one time or another, almost everyone is going to need a real estate agent. You want to be that real estate agent! You are going to be able to market your business to these people in the future, so collect as many business cards as you can. And yes, this means that you should be talking to as many people as possible in order to get these business cards. Don't over analyze Networking events are supposed to be fun, so don't over analyze the situation. Try to relax and just have a good time talking to people and make some connections! Real estate networking events can really take your business to the next level and allow you to meet people that you may not have met in different circumstances. Remember that real estate is a numbers game, and the more people you connect with, the better chance you have for potential business. Don't be shy — get out there and network! To view the original article, visit the Zurple blog. Further Reading Improve Your Networking Skills: Follow These Tips and Watch Your Network Grow The Introverted Real Estate Agent's Guide to Networking Are You Leveraging Networking to Boost Your Business? 10 Tips for Networking Your Way to More Referrals

Proximity Marketing and Real Estate: How Location Helps Agents
As real estate agents, we know that finding the perfect property for our clients is all about location, location, location. But what if there was a way to take location-based marketing to a whole new level and boost our sales? Enter proximity marketing – the game-changer that has revolutionized how we connect with potential buyers and sellers in the digital age. In this post, we'll explore the fascinating impact of proximity marketing on real estate sales and how it helps agents seal the deal with style! What Is Proximity Marketing? Let's debunk the mystery surrounding proximity marketing first. It's a clever tactic that uses a customer or prospect's location to deliver relevant advertisements or messages. With proximity marketing, we can reach our audience at the ideal time and place, whether it's a push notification on their smartphone as they walk by a property, a special offer for a nearby open house, or an educational email customized to their neighborhood. The Power of Personalization The days of general advertising that failed to appeal to our prospects' particular interests are long gone. We can personalize our outreach and make it pertinent to the person's needs and preferences by using proximity marketing. We can serve up content that resonates with them and establish rapport by doing analysis on the data from their location and prior interactions. Who wouldn't want to work with an agent who is aware of their needs and satisfies their dreams, after all? Geofencing: The Secret Weapon Think of creating an invisible fence around a particular area so that whenever a prospective buyer or seller enters, they hear a personalized message from you. That is one of proximity marketing's key benefits of geofencing. Geofencing enables us to connect with our prospects at the exact right time, whether it's in a hotspot neighborhood with upscale listings or a bustling commercial area with exciting investment opportunities. Enhancing the Open House Experience Although open houses are our mainstay, they occasionally feel like shots in the dark, hoping the right buyer will appear. Proximity marketing completely changes this situation. We can send out invitations and reminders to prospective buyers nearby by utilizing beacon technology, which will boost foot traffic and generate buzz about the property. Additionally, we can gather insightful information on visitor engagement and preferences to follow up after the event in an efficient manner. Nurturing Long-Term Relationships Trust is crucial in real estate, and proximity marketing makes it easy to establish it. By continuing to communicate with our clients even after the transaction is complete, we are able to give them insightful information about their neighborhood, timely market updates, and a friendly reminder that we are always available by message. It's the ideal recipe for developing enduring connections that result in recommendations and repeat business. Embracing Innovation In an industry that's constantly evolving, embracing innovation is key to staying ahead of the competition. Proximity marketing not only helps us adapt to changing trends but also positions us as tech-savvy agents who are at the forefront of revolutionizing the real estate experience. This fresh and forward-thinking approach can attract tech enthusiasts and younger buyers who appreciate staying one step ahead of the curve. To conclude, proximity marketing is more than just a buzzword; it's a real estate agent's secret weapon for success. By utilizing this powerful strategy, we can engage with potential buyers and sellers at the right moment, with the right message, and in the right location. From personalized outreach to enhancing open house experiences and nurturing long-term relationships, proximity marketing empowers us to take our real estate game to a whole new level. So, fellow agents, let's embrace the digital revolution and leverage the power of proximity marketing to elevate our sales, grow our client base, and make a lasting impact on the world of real estate! The future is here, and it's right at our doorstep. Let's open the door to a new era of real estate sales with proximity marketing. Happy selling! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

Who is a Real Estate SEO Expert? And What Do They Do?
A real estate SEO expert is a professional who specializes in optimizing websites for search engines to improve organic rankings. They have a deep understanding of search engine algorithms and use their expertise to increase visibility and drive targeted traffic to real estate websites. These experts utilize a range of strategies, including conducting thorough keyword research, implementing on-page optimization techniques, creating compelling content, building high-quality links, and optimizing technical aspects of websites. By implementing these tactics, they assist real estate professionals in dominating search engine results and surpassing their competitors. In today's fiercely competitive online environment, the inclusion of a real estate SEO expert on your team can have a profound impact. Their knowledge and skills can assist you in attracting qualified leads, generating a higher number of conversions, and ultimately expanding your business. The importance of SEO for real estate businesses Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). For real estate businesses, it is an essential component of their digital marketing strategy. The higher a real estate website ranks on search engines like Google, the more visibility and exposure it gets, leading to increased traffic, qualified leads, and conversions. SEO is particularly crucial in the real estate industry because competition is fierce. With so many real estate businesses vying for the attention of potential customers, it's essential to stand out from the crowd. A real estate SEO expert can help your business achieve this by using their skills and expertise to improve your website's visibility and search engine rankings. What does a real estate SEO expert do? What does a real estate SEO expert do?A real estate SEO expert is a professional who specializes in optimizing real estate websites for search engines. They deeply understand search engine algorithms and use their expertise to improve organic rankings, drive targeted traffic, and increase conversions. Here are some of the things that a real estate SEO expert does: Keyword Research Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases that potential customers use when searching for real estate properties, agents, or services. A real estate SEO expert will use various tools and techniques to conduct thorough keyword research and identify the most relevant and high-traffic keywords for your business. They will then use these keywords to optimize your website's content, meta tags, and other on-page elements to improve your search engine rankings. On-Page Optimization On-page optimization is the process of optimizing the content and structure of a website to improve its relevance and visibility to search engines. A real estate SEO expert will use various on-page optimization techniques, such as optimizing meta tags, headers, images, and internal linking, to improve your website's relevance and visibility to search engines. They will also ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, has a fast loading speed, and is user-friendly to improve user experience and engagement. Off-Page Optimization Off-page optimization is the process of improving a website's visibility and authority through external links and mentions. A real estate SEO expert will use various off-page optimization techniques, such as link building, social media marketing, and content marketing, to improve your website's visibility, authority, and reputation. They will also ensure that your business is listed in relevant directories and citations to improve your visibility in local search results. Technical Optimization Real estate SEO experts should have a strong understanding of technical SEO, which is the process of optimizing a website's technical aspects to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Some of the key technical SEO tasks that a real estate SEO expert should be able to perform include: Local SEO for Real Estate Businesses Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website for local search results. A real estate SEO expert will use various local SEO techniques, such as optimizing your Google My Business profile, building local citations, and getting positive reviews, to improve your visibility and relevance in local search results. This is particularly crucial for real estate businesses that serve a specific geographic area. Tracking and Measuring Success in Real Estate SEO A real estate SEO expert will also track and measure the success of your SEO efforts using various tools and metrics, such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and keyword rankings. They will use this data to refine their strategies, identify opportunities for improvement, and demonstrate the ROI of their SEO efforts. Now, we are going deep through each one of the real estate SEO expert responsibilities: Keyword research for your website Keyword research is the process of identifying the keywords and phrases that potential customers are using to search for products or services like yours online. It is an important part of SEO (search engine optimization), as it helps real estate SEOs to create content and optimize your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Here are some of the important things in the keyword research process: Brainstorm a list of relevant keywords RESX (Real Estate SEO Experts) start by brainstorming a list of keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business and the products or services you offer. They consider the different types of properties you sell or rent, the locations you serve, and the types of buyers and sellers you work with. Use keyword research tools There are a number of keyword research tools available that can help you identify relevant keywords and phrases, as well as their search volume and competition level. Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, and SEMrush. Identify long-tail keywords Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords. They are also more likely to be used by potential customers who are closer to making a purchase decision. For example, real estate SEO experts, instead of targeting the keyword "real estate agent," might target the long-tail keyword "best real estate agent in [city]." Use keywords throughout your website Once they have identified a list of relevant keywords, they will be sure to use them throughout your website, including in your title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and body content. This will help Google to understand what your website is about and rank it accordingly. If you are interested in the keyword research process for your business, check out the best real estate SEO keywords for 2023. On-page optimization for your website On-page optimization is the process of optimizing the individual pages of a website to improve their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves optimizing a variety of factors, including the website's content, structure, and metadata. For real estate websites, on-page optimization is especially important, as it can help to ensure that potential buyers can easily find your website and learn about the properties you have for sale. Here are a few key things that real estate SEO experts will do: Use relevant keywords throughout your website, including in your title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and body content. Create high-quality, informative content that provides value to potential buyers. Optimize your images by sizing and compressing them properly and using descriptive alt text. Improve your website's structure by using clear and descriptive URLs, creating a logical hierarchy of pages, and using internal links to connect your pages together. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Off-page optimization for your website Off-page optimization is a crucial aspect of real estate SEO. It involves strategies that are implemented outside of the website itself to improve its search engine rankings. One of the most important off-page optimization techniques is link building. Real estate SEO experts understand the significance of building high-quality backlinks to a website. Backlinks act as votes of confidence from other websites, indicating to search engines that the website being linked to is trustworthy and valuable. Real estate SEO experts use various tactics to acquire backlinks, such as guest posting on relevant industry websites, reaching out to influencers for collaborations, and leveraging social media platforms to promote content and acquire links. In addition to link building, real estate SEO experts also focus on other off-page optimization techniques, such as social media marketing and online reputation management. By utilizing social media platforms effectively, they can broaden the reach of real estate websites, engage with the target audience, and drive more traffic. Online reputation management involves monitoring and managing the online presence of real estate businesses, ensuring that their reputation remains positive and trustworthy. Technical optimization for your website Here are some technical things that your SEO expert should have to do for your website: Optimizing website speed Improving website structure Fixing broken links Creating a mobile-friendly website Using relevant keywords throughout the website Optimizing images (Want to know more about it? Learn a few tips in SEO Tips for Images: Real Estate Edition) Submitting the website to search engines Monitoring website performance and making adjustments as needed Note that not all of the above items should done alone by SEO experts; for some of them, SEOs need help from a developer or website admin. Local SEO for real estate businesses Local SEO is a vital component of real estate SEO, as it focuses on optimizing websites for local search results. Real estate professionals operate within specific geographic areas, and it is crucial for their websites to appear in local search results when potential clients search for real estate services in their vicinity. Real estate SEO experts employ various strategies to optimize websites for local search, such as optimizing Google My Business profiles, creating location-specific landing pages, and obtaining local citations. By implementing these techniques, they help real estate businesses increase their visibility in local search results, attract more qualified leads, and ultimately drive more conversions. Local SEO for real estate businesses also involves optimizing websites for mobile devices, as a significant portion of local searches are performed on smartphones and tablets. Real estate SEO experts ensure that websites are mobile-friendly and provide a seamless user experience across different devices. This optimization helps real estate businesses capture mobile users and enhances their chances of converting them into clients. Tools and resources used by real estate SEO experts Real estate SEO experts use a range of tools and resources to conduct keyword research, analyze website data, and optimize websites for search engines. Here are some of the most popular tools and resources used by real estate SEO experts: Google Analytics Google Analytics is a free web analytics service provided by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Real estate SEO experts use Google Analytics to track website traffic, user behavior, and other key metrics to improve their SEO strategies. Google Search Console Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that helps website owners monitor and maintain their website's presence in Google search results. Real estate SEO experts use Google Search Console to track website performance, identify technical issues, and submit sitemaps. Ahrefs Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool that provides data and insights on backlinks, keywords, and website traffic. Real estate SEO experts use Ahrefs to conduct keyword research, analyze competitor backlinks, and monitor website performance. SEMrush SEMrush is an all-in-one marketing toolkit that provides tools for SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media marketing. Real estate SEO experts use SEMrush to conduct keyword research, analyze website data, and optimize websites for search engines. Tracking and measuring success in real estate SEO Measuring and tracking the success of your SEO efforts is crucial to improving your website's search engine rankings and achieving your business goals. Here are some metrics that a real estate SEO should track to measure the success of their SEO efforts: Organic Traffic Organic traffic refers to the number of visitors who come to your website through search engine results pages. Tracking organic traffic can help you understand how well your website is ranking on search engines and how effective your SEO efforts are. Keyword Rankings Keyword rankings refer to the positions your website ranks for specific keywords on search engine results pages. Tracking keyword rankings can help you understand how well your website is optimized for specific keywords and how competitive your industry is. Conversions Conversions refer to the number of visitors who take a specific action on your website, such as filling out a contact form or making a purchase. Tracking conversions can help you understand how effective your website is at converting visitors into customers and how well your SEO efforts are driving qualified leads. Backlinks Backlinks refer to the number and quality of external links pointing to your website. Tracking backlinks can help you understand how well your website is building authority and reputation in your industry and how competitive your industry is. Learn a bit more about Backlinks for real estate. How to evaluate a real estate SEO expert for your business If you're looking for a real estate SEO expert for your business, there are several things to consider. Here are some tips for finding the right real estate SEO expert for your business: Look for Experience and Expertise When choosing a real estate SEO expert, it's essential to look for someone with experience and expertise in the real estate industry. They should be familiar with the unique challenges and opportunities of the industry and have a deep understanding of search engine algorithms and best practices. Check References and Reviews Before hiring a real estate SEO expert, it's essential to check their references and reviews. Look for reviews and testimonials from previous clients, and ask for references that you can contact directly to hear about their experience working with the expert. Ask About Their Strategies and Tactics When interviewing potential real estate SEO experts, ask them about their strategies and tactics for improving your website's search engine rankings. They should be able to explain their approach in clear and understandable terms and provide examples of their success in the past. Evaluate Their Communication and Collaboration Skills Effective communication and collaboration are crucial when working with a real estate SEO expert. Look for someone who is responsive, transparent, and easy to work with, and who can collaborate effectively with your team to achieve your SEO goals. At Realtyna, we have some best Real Estate SEO Experts who are professional in Real Estate marketing. if you care about your website's performance in search results, you can hire us to do Search Engine Optimization for your website, if you are interested or want to know more about our SEO plans for your business, check out the Realtyna SEO packages. Conclusion In conclusion, a real estate SEO expert is a crucial component of any real estate business's digital marketing strategy. They use their skills and expertise to improve website visibility, drive targeted traffic, and increase conversions. By conducting thorough keyword research, implementing on-page and off-page optimization techniques, and tracking and measuring success, they can help your business dominate search engine results and surpass your competitors. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Real AI: Wearable AI, Canva Masters Image Generation, and 5 New AI Facts
Real AI is a 100% human-created weekly roundup of all things AI in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact real estate. AI you can wear AI is likely to dominate your holiday shopping — and not just providing you scary-accurate recommendations on Amazon. A blitz of AI wearables is underway, according to news site Axios. Here are just a few early notables: Smart Glasses: Ray-Ban and Meta have teamed up with a new line of smart glasses. Talk about its potential for open house security. They look just like regular Ray-Bans, but include a built-in, ultra-wide 12 MP camera, a five-mic system, and open-ear speakers that they tout are comparable to top line earbuds. Say "Hey Meta" for instant answers because it's paired with your smartphone and is 100% voice command. You could stream your open house on Facebook Live. It's almost like wearing an undetectable body cam. Preorders ship on Oct 23. AI Pin: Startup Humane, led by former Apple star Imran Chaudhri, the AI Pin just debuted on a Paris runway. It has not been demoed publicly, yet reportedly it is a wearable screenless device that "uses a projector to allow its simple user interface to appear on a hand or other nearby surface." Rewind Pendant: For $59, Rewind.ai is offering a neck pendant that can record conversations and transfer them to your smartphone. The AI trick: its software can sort through and extract insights from all that audio you record, creating a sort of searchable database of information obtained from the audio content. Sounds like an agent would never have to take notes again. Tab: Billed as "it's always listening," Tab is a smart wearable that documents all your conversations "ingesting the context" of your life, according to founder Avi Shiffmann. But you won't find this gift wrapped this holiday, as it is not due to release until Spring 2024. Schiffmann told Axios, "Talking to Tab feels like a late-night conversation with a friend… It's a much more natural way of interacting with tech." Is it just me or do these sound like something created by Q in a James Bond movie, just less deadly? Canva offers AI for everyone else Ask every teacher you know if they use Canva, the online alternative to Photoshop, and you will rarely hear a "No." Canva became the ubiquitous online design site by offering its service free to educators for years. It used to be a pretty good tool. Now it just rang the awesome bell. I've used it for quick projects for a long time, but I'm about to become a subscriber because of its new AI integration. The ease of using AI to create incredible images is stunning. It offers not just one but access to three leading tools: Magic Media, DALL-E (soon to be incorporated into its sister product, ChatGPT), and Imagen by Google Cloud. Canva had me at Media Magic. Canva currently is providing a link to test its AI Image Generator for free here. I'll probably write more later about Canva because I think every agent in the world should now subscribe, but look what it did with this prompt (I live on Bainbridge Island in Washington outside of Seattle): "A Bainbridge Island home, classic two story with a two-car garage American Craftsman style white wood panel siding with a standard shingle roof." The center photo is the output: Think royalty-free stock photos. Again, free. The results are SO much better than what I have obtained from dozens of tests with DALL-E 3. Think of the marketing possibilities using a royalty free photo like this. No angry clients calling you to ask who gave you permission to include a photo of their home inside your promotional brochure. I sent this photo to a friend, Jason Shutt, a top broker at Windermere on Bainbridge, and his reaction was classic: "The grass growing in between the spacing in the concrete on the driveway!!!" Yep, just like my Bainbridge home. Do not underestimate the power of AI. AI Five Fast Facts More than 80% of U.S. adults say the industry should invest more to ensure that AI will be applied fairly, safely, and securely. That's an 11-point jump since November 2022. Most U.S. adults express reservations about AI for uses such as government benefits and healthcare. Only 39% believe AI is safe and secure, and 78% worry that AI can be used for malicious intent. More than 85% of U.S. adults surveyed believe making AI safe and secure for the public should be a nationwide effort across government, industry, and academia. There is a generational divide on AI's benefits vs. concerns. Over 57% of Gen Zers and 62% of millennials are excited about AI's potential benefits. In contrast, 70% of baby boomers are concerned about the potential risks of AI. More than half of employed U.S. adults show concern about AI replacing them on the job. Source: MITRE and Harris Poll, July 2023 AI Headlines: Take 5 Tom Hanks Warns Fans About 'AI Version of Me' Promoting Dental Plan: 'I Have Nothing to Do With It' | Variety - 10/1/23Tom Hanks is not asking you to get your teeth cleaned. That's an unauthorized AI version of Hanks, according to the real Tom Hanks. We think. AI takes Manhattan: The robot realtors of NYC are here to stay | New York Post - 9/29/23AI assistants are helping New Yorkers find their dream homes. Kinda. Architects vs AI: the battle for the future starts now | BIMplus - 10/3/23Architects and architecture professors address their feelings on AI. Conflicted. Meta is paying celebrities millions for AI Chatbots | The Information - 10/5/23A new way to get paid: the Facebook and Instagram parent is paying Tom Brady, Snoop Dogg, Charli D'Amelio, and others to create AI fictional characters with their likeness. "Hey Tom…" Seattle-based photo giant Getty Images embraces AI technology | Seattle Times - 10/2/23The company is taking a two-pronged approach to the threat and opportunity that AI poses to its business. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Quote of the Week To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

[Podcast] How RPR is Helping Realtors Navigate a Challenging Market, with Reggie Nicolay
There's a twist to this month's Decoding Real Estate as the show welcomes host-turned-guest Reggie Nicolay! As the VP of Marketing and Social Media at RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®), Reggie is a real estate tech and marketing thought leader. And the only thing he knows better than that, is RPR itself! He's also married to a very successful full-time agent, which gives him a special POV on real estate pain points and challenges. And he has first-hand knowledge on how the latest and greatest RPR data-centric tools on local market trends can help ease and solve them. Host Genie Willett taps into Reg's years of experience and RPR mastery to discuss and highlight RPR's very busy 2023, including: the "Master the Market" eBook series, Shareable Market Trends, the Shareable Market Trends ScriptWriter, free Canva templates, the RPR app and more. Tune in to get the scoop on how RPR is helping REALTORS® navigate their way through this tough market. Don't miss this month's Decoding Real Estate with guest Reggie Nicolay! Decoding Real Estate is hosted by Reggie Nicolay and Genie Willett. Subscribe/Follow And be sure to check out these helpful and relevant links: Realtors Property Resource RPR's "Master the Market" eBook series RPR Shareable Market Trends RPR Shareable Market Trends ScripterWriter tool RPR Canva templates Download the RPR Mobile™ app RPR Blog Listen on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify To view the original article, visit the RPR blog. Thank you to RPR for sponsoring this article on RE Technology!

Key On-Page SEO Optimization for Realtors
Thank you to Real Estate Webmasters for sponsoring this article on RE Technology: In today's digital world, buyers are switching online to find their dream home. Refining your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy is becoming even more crucial to put your property listings on the spotlight. On-Page SEO Fundamentals The components of on-page SEO include your website's content, keywords, meta descriptions, images, links, page speed, and URL structure. Imagine it as staging a property, and you want to refine each element to ensure that you attract potential buyers. With on-page SEO optimization, remember that content is king. Publishing high-quality, relevant content is essential to rank high on other search engines. Google aims to connect users with websites that will best match their queries, so irrelevant and poor content will only negatively affect your SEO score. Don't forget that page speed is also an important factor, which Real Estate Webmasters' Renaissance platform is known for. Real Estate Webmasters' PageSpeed results show full 100 scores. Keywords Meta Keywords are the words or phrases that most users are using on their search. Strategically placing them on headers, titles, and meta description is key so search engines can gauge the relevance of your content. Consider user intent when choosing your keywords and use long-tail keywords (long phrases) like "ocean view houses in Nanaimo, BC" to attract a specific audience. Additionally, you can utilize Google's Keyword Planner, or Ahref's Keyword Explorer to choose the best keywords for your campaign. Long-tail keywords' performance on search engines. Meta Tags The title tag and meta descriptions are the two most significant meta tags you should focus on. The title tag, or more known as the headline, should ideally be under 60 characters. Meta descriptions, on the other hand, provide a quick overview of what your page is about. It is better to keep it under 160 characters and to include a call-to-action (CTA). Image Optimization Image optimization in SEO is not just about the visual appeal, but about ensuring that search engines can understand your image easily. This entails load speed, and using descriptive file names and alt texts on your images. Furthermore, it is important to compress images, use relevant file formats and responsive images to get high points in this aspect. URL Structure Aim to have clear and descriptive URLs so that visitors and search engines will not have difficulties figuring out the content of your page. Here are some pro tips– keep your URL short and memorable, avoid special characters, and use lowercase. Don't forget to also include important keywords! Internal Linking Internal linking helps guide your visitors to different pages of your website. For example, a blog post about your services can link out to one specific offering or service. To take full advantage of internal linking, remember to use descriptive anchor texts, link to deep pages, and not to overdo it. Stuffing your page with links can be off-putting. How Real Estate Webmasters' SEO Pillar Structure supports internal linking. Conclusion Now that you know the basics of on-page SEO, try optimizing your website and see how it will improve your online visibility. Alternatively, you can reach out to Real Estate Webmasters for expert assistance with your SEO, PPC, and custom website needs. This is a condensed version of a blog that was initially posted on Real Estate Webmasters' website.

Accelerating New Construction Sales with Innovative Marketing Tools
Selling new construction offers numerous advantages that can greatly enhance a real estate professional's portfolio and make it an attractive niche within the ever-evolving world of real estate sales. The allure of pristine, untouched properties and the promise of modern amenities and design innovations often appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. In this dynamic and competitive market, staying ahead requires innovative strategies that not only captivate potential buyers with immersive and engaging experiences but also streamline the sales process. If you are already a part of this thriving industry or are considering entering it, three indispensable marketing tools can help you unlock the potential of new construction real estate: Architectural Renders, 360° Render Virtual Tours, and 3D Floor Plans. These tools are the keys to generating leads and ensuring swift, successful sales in a realm where visual appeal and clarity can make all the difference. Find out how these tools can revolutionize your property marketing, leading to quicker deal closures and enhanced efficiency for real estate professionals. Architectural Renders: Bringing Dreams to Life for Buyers Architectural renders are visual representations of a property that help potential buyers see what a space will look like before it's built. These highly detailed and realistic images offer a glimpse into the future, allowing buyers to visualize themselves living in the property. Here's how architectural renders can accelerate property sales: Increased Engagement: Renders generate excitement and interest among potential buyers by presenting the property in the best possible light. Buyers are motivated to inquire about properties that excite them and capture their imagination. Reduced Ambiguity: Renders eliminate ambiguity and help buyers understand the property's layout, design, and potential. This reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings and disappointments. Customization: Renders can be customized to showcase different design options or renovations, catering to various buyer preferences. This flexibility can attract a wider range of potential buyers. Virtual Tours: Providing Buyers with an Immersive Experience Virtual tours offer a convenient and immersive way for buyers to explore properties. You can tour unbuilt homes with 360° Render Virtual Tours. Use this cutting-edge tech to provide a comprehensive view of a property's interior, allowing potential buyers to navigate through it as if they were physically present. Here's how 360° Render Virtual Tours can speed up new construction property sales: Immersive Experience: Capturing every aspect of the property's architecture and design, Render Virtual Tours allows buyers to move freely within a property from anywhere in the world. Buyers can "walk" through rooms, explore different angles, and zoom in on specific details, closely mirroring the physical experience of property exploration. Enhanced Understanding: Buyers can gain a better understanding of the property's layout, flow, and overall feel through virtual tours, leading to more informed decisions. Save Time and Qualify Leads: Real estate professionals can focus their efforts on serious buyers who have already taken a virtual tour, saving time and increasing the chances of closing deals. 3D Floor Plans: Delivering Dynamic Clarity and Precision Floor plans provide a bird's-eye view of a property's layout, helping buyers envision the spatial arrangement. 3D Floor Plans take this essential marketing tool to the next level by adding intricate detail. Here are ways in which these cutting-edge plans can accelerate new construction sales: Enhanced Visualization: 3D floor plans provide a detailed and immersive representation of a property. Vividly showcasing colors, textures, and materials, 3D floor plans help buyers gain a deeper understanding of the property's layout, flow, and spatial relationships — making it easier for buyers to envision themselves living in the space. Increased Engagement and Transparency: 3D floor plans minimize the likelihood of misunderstandings or layout misinterpretations. Buyers can efficiently compare various properties and layouts, facilitating quicker decision-making. Furthermore, these plans enable buyers to readily evaluate if the home's arrangement suits their lifestyle. Competitive Advantage: Incorporating 3D floor plans into your listings can give you a competitive edge in the real estate market. It demonstrates your commitment to delivering high-quality and informative listings, setting you apart from the competition and appealing to discerning buyers. In the fast-paced world of real estate, staying ahead of the competition and meeting the evolving needs of buyers is essential. Incorporate these technologies into your marketing strategies and create compelling property listings that attract more buyers and close deals faster. Selling new construction? Get a free Renders quote today. New customers at BoxBrownie.com can take advantage this free sign-up offer: Get 4 FREE photo edits now, no credit card required.

10 Ways Virtual Assistants Can Help Agents Boost their Social Media Presence
In the fast-paced world of real estate, staying ahead of the competition is paramount. One of the most effective ways to do so is by maintaining a strong social media presence. However, many real estate agents find themselves juggling multiple tasks, leaving them with limited time and energy for social media marketing. This is where virtual assistants come to the rescue! In this post, we'll explore how virtual assistants can be your secret weapon in boosting your social media presence, helping you shine in the crowded real estate market. 1. Content Creation and Curation The foundation of effective social media marketing is compelling content. The work of producing and collecting interesting content for your social media platforms can be delegated to virtual assistants. They are capable of creating catchy captions, striking graphics, and even enlightening blog posts about the neighborhood real estate market. You can consistently deliver engaging content that is current and relevant with the help of a knowledgeable virtual assistant. 2. Social Media Scheduling Social media marketing requires consistency, but posting frequently can be time-consuming. Even if you're buried in real estate negotiations or showings, a virtual assistant can set up a content calendar and schedule posts in advance. This allows you to maintain an active online presence without sacrificing your other responsibilities. 3. Audience Engagement Building deep connections and trust with your audience requires engagement. Virtual assistants can keep an eye on your social media pages, reply to comments, and interact with your audience on your behalf. They are able to respond to questions, express gratitude for positive comments, and quickly resolve issues. This individualization helps build your credibility and strengthen client relationships. 4. Analytics and Insights You need data-driven insights to adjust your social media strategy. Reach, engagement, and conversion rates are examples of social media metrics that virtual assistants can collect and analyze. You can use this information to better understand what's working and what needs to be improved, which will help you make decisions that will maximize your online presence. 5. Research and Trend Analysis It's crucial to keep up with the most recent trends and advancements in social media and real estate. Virtual assistants can monitor market developments, tactics, and new social media sites. They can give you reports and suggestions on how to change your strategy to stay current. 6. Ad Campaign Management Reaching a larger audience can be accomplished with the help of social media advertising. The creation of ad copy and graphics, audience targeting, and performance tracking are all tasks that virtual assistants can handle when managing your advertising campaigns. This guarantees a wise use of your advertising budget and a significant return on investment. 7. Content Calendar Planning Any effective social media strategy is built on a solid content calendar. A content calendar that is customized to your unique objectives and target audience can be created and managed by virtual assistants. This makes sure that important dates, like real estate listings and open houses, are highlighted and that your social media posts are in line with your overall marketing strategy. 8. Crisis Management Real estate is a fast-paced industry, and problems can happen at any time. Your first line of defense when handling crises on social media can be your virtual assistants. They can assist in maintaining your professional image and averting potentially damaging incidents, whether it's responding to negative feedback or handling delicate situations. 9. Brand Consistency In branding, consistency is essential. The voice, tone, and visual identity of your brand can be maintained across all social media platforms with the help of virtual assistants. Your online presence is strengthened and potential clients are more likely to remember your real estate agency thanks to this consistent branding. 10. Time and Stress Savings Last but not least, using a virtual assistant can help you save time and feel less stressed. You can free up your time to concentrate on what you do best: selling properties and providing excellent client service by giving them the social media tasks to handle. To be successful in the real estate business over the long haul, one must maintain this work-life balance. In conclusion, virtual assistants are invaluable allies for real estate agents looking to boost their social media presence. They can handle everything from content creation and scheduling to audience engagement and crisis management, allowing you to shine in the competitive real estate market. With their support, you can build a strong online presence, connect with potential clients, and ultimately, close more deals. So, don't hesitate to explore the world of virtual assistants and give your real estate business the social media boost it deserves. Your success awaits! To view the original article, visit the Transactly blog.

6 Ways Digital Home Management Platforms Help Agents Keep Clients Forever
Welcome back to our "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" series, which highlights articles around a monthly theme. October's theme is "Never Lose Another Client." Read on for tips and tricks on maintaining long-term relationships with your clients: The real estate industry naturally focuses on finding active buyers and active sellers, which runs between 4 to 6 million home transactions in any given year. But what do agents, brokerages, and the industry do to help the other 115 million homeowners who either recently completed a transaction or are happy in their current home? The challenge for agents and brokers is staying relevant, providing additional value, and maintaining brand presence during the long-term span between transactions in the hope of getting repeat business. Sending emails via a CRM wishing them a happy holiday is a nice gesture, but doesn't go very far. Sending them reports about market conditions in their neighborhood is nice, but not really relevant if they plan on living in their new home for five to seven years. Digital home management platforms are a relatively new concept that helps homeowners manage their home while providing agents and brokers with a way to never lose them. Let's dive into six ways these new digital home management platforms work for agents and brokers. Help Clients Actually Manage Their Largest Financial Asset An agent's client just moved into and set up their new home. Now what value is the agent providing? Homeowners need a maintenance schedule with reminders over what tasks to do to minimize repair costs on the home's building materials, appliances, and equipment. They need to keep energy costs low by having a home that operates efficiently. Homeowners need guidance on how to budget and plan for home remodel projects  and advice on how to hire a contractor. Homeowners need to budget and track their total cost to own the home, including insurance, property tax, utilities, mortgage, and other regular home services such as landscaping, pool maintenance, security monitoring and other services. Homeowners need to track their mortgage balance and their home equity to understand how their financial investment in their home is performing. Digital home management platforms like HomeZada bring all these things together into a single platform that empowers homeowners to manage everything about their home in one place. Homeowners can also save all their documents about the home including closing docs, mortgage docs, insurance policies, receipts, invoices, etc. Proactive and personalized reminders and emails keep the homeowner engaged and knowledgeable on what and how to manage their home. Help Homeowners Become Climate Resilient Every homeowner across the country faces changing seasons and weather conditions that create risk for their home. How many agents have clients who have had to deal with hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, thunderstorms, deep freezes, blizzards, hail storms, flooding, heat waves, etc. over the last few years? Probably just about everyone. Digital home management platforms such as HomeZada have integrated with the National Weather Service to provide real time alerts and push notifications based on your home's address of severe weather events that can significantly impact your home. In addition, every insurance company recommends a home inventory. Home management platforms provide homeowners an easy way to upload videos and photos and process it via AI to make sure your clients are properly insured and prepared in case disaster strikes and they need to file a claim. Be Relevant, Personalized, and Engaging Agents and brokers can build their branding inside of some digital home management platforms. Depending on the platform, the branding can be displayed on any device including desktops, tablets and mobile devices. This is important because homeowners, from millennials and gen z, expect mobile access while many boomers and seniors still prefer desktop access. Digital home management platforms often times create personalized pre-populated data about their specific home at sign-up and send out regular monthly email and push notifications. This combination of personalized and relevant information keeps homeowners engaged, on average, two to three times per month where agents get the benefit of automated branding at every login and every email. Be Innovative and Deliver AI to the Homeowner Clients ChatGPT and other generative AI technology has exploded in the marketplace. Consumers and professionals know it will change the game but are not exactly sure how. Think about all the questions a homeowner has during the five to 10 years of owning their home — from home finances, home improvement projects, research on which brands and types of products to put into the home, to home maintenance questions and more. HomeZada has integrated ChatGPT as a Home AI Assistant into its digital home management platform, empowering consumers who use it to become smarter homeowners. The benefit for agents and brokerages is that your brand is the one delivering the AI technology to your clients. You are the hero over multiple years, with no effort after the initial onboarding process. Opportunity to Market Other Home Products and Services Many brokerages offer other products and services such as insurance, mortgage, home warranty, and more either that are company owned or via a preferred partnership. Some digital home management platforms have built-in ad and content platforms that allow brokerages to market these other lines of business within the user interface. This gently influences engaged clients in the digital home management applications to do more business with the broker's companies and partners. You may not have won the first year of the customers home insurance or home warranty business, but ad content platforms mean you could get clients to switch and generate new business opportunity while they are still living in their current home. Build Brand Preference for Future Listing Opportunities All 120 million current homeowners in the US are potential leads to win when they decide it's time to sell their home. Some consumers are planning on selling in the next three months, or the next year, in three years or in 10 years. The real estate industry's challenge is how to get their brand in front of those current homeowners so when they are ready to sell, the brokerage and/or agent has built their brand preference in a value-added way. Use digital home management platforms to help any current homeowner you are in contact with or in your marketing sphere. They all need these platforms to better manage, maintain, protect, and improve their largest financial asset. Brokerages and agents who use digital home management platforms will have built up a brand preference for several months or years and are likely to get a listing agreement because they have been helping homeowners manage their home for years before. Summary Homeownership is a lifecycle that never ends. It starts with buying your first home and owning it. Then comes the time to sell it and buy another one. This happens many times over the course of most people's lives. Agents and brokerages provide the core of their services for people buying and selling. But the owning phase is the longest in duration and one where consumers need help managing their homes, and the real estate industry needs to be value-added and relevant to keep clients for life. John Bodrozic is the Co-Founder of HomeZada.

RPR Mobile: Why It's the Must-Have App for REALTORS
Thank you to RPR for sponsoring this article on RE Technology: We hate to sound like a broken record, but the mobile application provided by RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®) should be on every REALTOR's phone. The RPR app is akin to carrying around the entire RPR website in your pocket or purse: it's jam packed with property data, reports and tools. With it, agents are as equally productive as when they're in the office at their desktop. In this article, we're going to highlight all the tangible features and capabilities of real estate's most powerful app — and put a spotlight on all the intangibles that make it an indispensable tool. The RPR app: your go-to when you're on the go The RPR app is a convenient and comprehensive resource for REALTORS®, which can be especially helpful when agents are out in the field with clients, hosting open houses, door knocking, etc. It can also be used for commercial property research, trade area analysis and transaction based tasks. The app gives real estate professionals instant access to a wide range of real estate data and task-completing tools. Here's a list of what can be tapped into and utilized by REALTORS® with the RPR app and why it's considered a "must-have" for their business: Property Information: RPR's database is the largest in residential and commercial real estate, and includes details on over 160 million properties in the country. With the app in hand, a REALTOR® can get instant property information, including tax records, assessments, transaction history, ownership details, and more. It's the perfect tool for researching properties and providing accurate data to clients and prospects. Client-Friendly Reports: Use the app to generate professional-looking, branded reports for clients. Property Reports, Seller's Reports, School Reports and Market Activity Reports can be created on your phone and shared in just a few button taps. They're especially handy at open houses or canvassing a neighborhood. Clients and prospects will be amazed at how much info you can share in such a short amount of time. CMAs: RPR offers Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) tools, which allows REALTORS® to build an accurate CMA even when they're out in the wild or away from their desk. The ability to use pricing tools and send the results to clients in minutes can definitely leave a favorable impression. Shareable Market Trends: Real estate is local and homeowners and potential home buyers crave up-to-date market stats for their particular area. You can deliver these hyper-local neighborhood insights with RPR's Shareable Market Trends. Just look for the "Market Trends" tab at the bottom navigation bar and tap into a world of revealing market stats, charts and graphs for a specific area. Better yet, you can share these numbers with clients, or out to your social sphere, with just a few "taps." New Pricing Tools: Recently added, the RPR app now boasts two new features: an Equity Calculator and a Mortgage Calculator. For homeowners who aren't completely clued-in to their home's equity figure, the easy-to-use Equity Calculator can be a real eye-opener and a great conversation starter. For your buyer clients, the Mortgage Calculator provides a ballpark, big picture on how much home can be afforded. This can aid in realistic budget discussions, narrow down home searches, and ultimately help your clients make better informed decisions. Mapping and Geo Data: The maps in the app are powerful! The mapping features allow the user to overlay various data layers onto a map area. This can help in identifying trends, understanding neighborhood demographics, school searches, searching from particular points or within a certain radius, and assessing market conditions. The Buyer Tour: Currently an app-only feature in RPR, the Buyer Tour easily allows agents to select properties and determine an order to tour them. Then they can create a colorful, client-friendly report to share with their buyers. It's a great way to set up a schedule and keep a record of what was viewed, and what was liked. Commercial capabilities: RPR also offers a commercial version of its app. In fact, it's the exact same app, you simply toggle over to "Commercial" from "Residential" (this can be done from the login screen, or on the home screen by tapping the gear icon in the upper left corner). Commercial practitioners can use the RPR app to access commercial property information, keep tabs on market conditions, research properties, search listings, assess investment opportunities, identify optimum sites, and create commercial property and Trade Area reports. NAR Member Benefit: RPR, and the RPR Mobile™ app, are provided as a member benefit by the National Association of Realtors. This means the app is built exclusively for REALTORS®. If you're a member, your dues are paying for it, so you should be using it! Want to impress clients? Get a grip on any situation with the RPR app As you can tell, the RPR app offers a laundry list of features and offerings. Agents can use it to solve or service almost any real estate situation. However, using the app also checks some intangible boxes that can really foster the agent-client relationship. For example, using the RPR app sets you up to: Conveniently respond and deliver in minutes: Emailing and texting reports, CMAs, Market Trends and answers to questions from your phone is a sign that you're dialed in and know your stuff. That last thing clients want to hear is, "I'll figure that out when I get back to the office tomorrow." With the RPR app in hand, you'll answer that question on the spot. Build confidence (in your clients and in yourself): If you're out with a client looking at a home, and they ask you a question about the place across the street, and you have an immediate answer? That's an immediate confidence boost. The RPR app can help you handle these curveball questions and hit them out of the park. One RPR user describes this type of app-assisted knowledge as "listing intel," and we couldn't agree more. Build trust: Providing your clients with up-to-date housing market information goes a long way in building a rapport and positioning yourself as a local market expert. Your clients may know a little, but they look to and lean on you for experience and guidance. The ability to discuss what type of market we're in, and how the inventory shortage is affecting sales and prices, what the listing to sales percentages mean and so forth, is trust-building knowledge that you can deliver, even when you're out and about. The RPR app can be the foundation of your tech stack If you have the app and haven't used it in awhile, it's time to take another look. RPR has added a ton of new enhancements that can have an immediate effect on your response times, skill-building and your bottom line. And if you don't have the app on your phone, it's time to download it and add it to your tech stack. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Boost Your Real Estate Game with REW Academy
Thank you to Real Estate Webmasters for sponsoring this article on RE Technology: Comprehensive Training for Modern Realtors® The internet is brimming with "how-to" videos on a myriad of topics. However, discerning the best quality information on real estate marketing can be challenging. This is where the REW Academy steps in as a beacon of knowledge for industry professionals. With its revamped access, the academy is now even more accessible, providing invaluable insights on scaling businesses, mastering digital marketing, and utilizing the advanced tools offered by Real Estate Webmasters. Disclosure: This article is a summary of the original found on Real Estate Webmasters' website. New Access The REW Academy has revolutionized its access, making it more user-friendly and intuitive. Gone are the days of intricate navigation. Whether you're an experienced Realtor® or a newcomer, the academy welcomes you to immerse yourself in a wealth of real estate-centric knowledge. This enhanced method not only simplifies but also augments the learning journey. Key Features and Benefits REW Academy stands out with its short courses tailored specifically for the contemporary Realtor®. These courses guide you in scaling your real estate business sustainably and profitably. Delve into the intricacies of SEO and PPC to ensure your business shines in the digital realm. Each module is meticulously crafted to provide actionable insights and strategies. But the REW Academy isn't just about imparting knowledge; it emphasizes practical application. Realtors® armed with the academy's teachings find themselves at a competitive advantage, likely attracting more clients and closing deals more efficiently. Mastery of digital tools like SEO and PPC amplifies visibility and ensures targeting to the right audience, making it a game-changer for real estate professionals. However, while the academy caters to all, some advanced courses, especially those taught by Real Estate Webmasters' CEO, Morgan Carey, are best suited for those who have a foundational knowledge of topics like SEO. Website and CRM Tools In addition to its courses, Real Estate Webmasters offers an integrated suite of website and CRM tools that complement the academy's teachings. These tools, tailored for the modern real estate sector, ensure that everything you need is within reach. From managing client relationships to enhancing your online footprint, REW's tools perfectly align with the academy's courses. Conclusion The REW Academy is not just another source of generic digital marketing content. It stands distinguished as a beacon for real estate-specific training, guiding professionals on their path to success. With its revamped access, a rich array of courses, and integrated tools, it's an invaluable asset for anyone earnest about leaving a lasting imprint on the real estate industry. Embrace the REW Academy and let it be the driving force behind your monumental success.