Motivational Speaker

Social Networking - Cutting Your Own Grass

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:52:30 -0400

Great presentation from one of the masters of social media. Thanks for the trial blazing Jeff.

Via Jeff Turner (Real Estate Shows):

Yesterday, I finally got around to editing the kickoff presentation I did at REBarcamp Denver.

This morning I received this message in tweet from Jeremy Blanton: "Can you do me a fav & put that video up on AR?" I asked him to tell me why and the following was his response.

Jeff, I would like you to post your video for the members because this is something they need to hear & understand. Especially those that are just starting down the social media road.

Many hear about the new technologies & think that they have to learn & understand each & every one of them. When in all reality, they could be 100 times more effective if they just found one or two ways to effectively market themself in the social media realm and become masters of those.

Like you mentioned in the video, not everything that you or I do will work the same for that member. Each market has it's own specific niche that the each & every person needs to learn. While twitter might work well for an agent in California, it may not do a thing for an agent in Idaho.

This simple principle applied to social media stands true for any type of marketing someone does. Example:

In my area, open houses are extremely ineffective. Agents that do an open house here only hold them to pick up that one or two buyer leads that come in, or the agent does the open house to please the seller.

Just because open houses do not work for here, does not mean that they are a complete waste of time. I have spoken with several people from around the US that use an open house as their main form of marketing & it has been super effective for them.

I guess the main reason I would love this video share is this: Each market & each person have their own individual uniqueness. The key isn't trying to learn how to do EVERYTHING, but to learn what will work & become a master of those.

Jeremy, that's good enough for me. :)

Jeff Turner on Twitter | Facebook

Who Are the Top 100 Most Connected People in Real Estate? Are You One of Them?

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:41:04 -0400

Business & Social Media & Networks have exploded the last 5 years. So much so that I have been asked by hundreds of brokers and agents when am I going to write about it more and provide suggestions, tips and strategies on how to master this growing "monster."

The good news is that I am busy writing as we speak and will be announcing in August details about my new Swanepoel SOCIAL MEDIA Report - A Field Guide for Real Estate Professionals.

Meanwhile it's important to be connected, get connected and to build your network. This survey should prove interesting and hopefully inspire many more real estate professionals to become more active in social and business networks.

Submit your name and lets get a snapshot every year of what it means to be one of the 100 most connected in real estate.

Via Ron & Alexandra Seigel (Luxury Real Estate Marketing) (ra@napaconsultants.com):

Who Are the Top 100 Most Connected People in Real Estate? Are You One of Them?

In the game of real estate marketing whoever has the most high trust relationships wins!
The more people you know who would go out of their way to refer business to you, the more business you get.

The entire world is a buzz over social media and professional networking. There is no question that online networks like Facebook (www.facebook.com ) and Twitter (www.twitter.com ) have exploded into household names with millions of people participating. Even in our own industry the growth of ActiveRain (www.activerain.com) has been nothing short of incredible as it has raced up to over 150,000 members!!

Yet, only one-third of all real estate agents engage in professional networking, according to NAR. What is everyone else waiting for? Perhaps the technology itself is a bit daunting at first. But, the essence of connecting with new people from all over the world, people who could not only become friends but also referral sources, is well worth the time and effort.

Proxio, the international MLS and global referral network, is interesting in identifying and recognizing the most connected people in real estate. Are you one of them? Do you have, on various networks, more than say, 3,000 contacts, friends and/or followers?

Then maybe you could be one of the TOP 100 MOST CONNECTED PEOPLE IN REAL ESTATE. Enter a short survey coordinated by Proxio, the fastest growing multilingual agent-to-agent referral network in the world, to find out if you are. CLICK HERE to take the survey.

The Top 100 Most Connected People in Real Estate will be announced at the INMAN conference in San Francisco on August 5/6th

OFFICIAL RESULTS: Top 100 Most Influential Women in Real Estate Leadership for 2008

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:25:43 -0400

With 3,460 respondents casting 6,099 votes, Rainers and the real estate professional community has decided who the Top 25 Most Influential Women are. And what an incredible list of powerful women this list represents.

Nine months ago when the 2008 edition of the Swanepoel TRENDS Report was published, the demographics that included women, youth and minorities were identified as key drivers in the future of the residential real estate brokerage industry. In the Trend titled "Shattered Glass" it was detailed how many women had reached leadership positions at national levels.

This trend lit the match to initiate a nationwide flame in search of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in leadership roles in the Real Estate Industry. Though the survey was not billed as warranting scientific rigidity, the tremendous response rate and distribution of over 6,000 votes speaks to a strength in collective wisdom about the relative placement of the most influential women in the Top 100 list. Hence the results are being presented in alphabetical order within three group rankings. The Top 25, Top 50 and the Top 100.

THE RESULTS

Top 25

The top 25 Most Influential Women include a power list of Who's Who in real estate such as former National Association of REALTORS® Presidents, Dorcas Helfant-Browning (1992) and Sharon Millett (1999); co-founders of large real estate franchises and companies such as Gail Liniger (of REMAX International), Ebby Halliday (of Ebby Halliday Realtors) and Barbara Corcoran (of Corcoran in NY). Also featuring prominently are current presidents and senior executives of large real estate firms such as Helen Hanna Casey (of Howard Hanna Real Estate), Michael Saunders (of Michael Saunders Real Estate) and Virginia Cook (of Virginia Cook Realtors).

The top 25 list, however, also comprises a variety of interesting female leaders that deal with all different walks of the industry such as Avis Wukasch (Board member of the Texas Real Estate Commission), Susie Hale (Frogpond Publishing) and Leslie Appelton-Young (chief economist of the California Association of Realtors). For a photo and full details of all of the Top 25 Most Influential Women click on each person's name in the list.

Here are the Top 25 in alphabetical order (names hyperlink to bios and photos):

Ann Defries
Avis Wukasch
Barbara Corcoran
Blanche Evans
Bonnie Mays
Danielle Kennedy
Dorcas Helfant-Browning
Ebby Halliday
Gail Liniger
Helen Hanna-Casey
Joeann Fossland
Judy Ladeur
Kelli Todd
Laurie Janick
Leslie Appleton-Young
Margaret Kelly
Mary Frances Burleson
Mary Tennant
Michael Saunders
Mo Anderson
Niki Rapattoni
Rita Santamaria
Sharon Millett
Susie Hale
Virginia Cook

Top 50

The next group of 25 women rounding out the top 50 includes numerous household names in the industry featuring esteemed authors such as Carla Cross and Bernice Ross and well known speakers and trainers such as Laurie Moore-Moore, Barb Schwartz and Dianna Kokoszka. The list is also adorned with numerous presidents of large real estate companies including Kaira Sturivant Rouda (Real Living), Sherry Chris (Better Homes & Gardens) and Dottie Herman (Prudential Douglas Elliman), Former NAR past presidents Cathy Whatley (2003) and Pat Vredevoogd Combs (2007), as well as incoming president for 2010, Vicki Cox also made the top 50 list.

Here are the Top 50 in alphabetical order (names hyperlink to bios and photos):

Adorna Carroll
Amy Chorew
Andy Capelluto
Ann Bailey
Anne Randolph
Barb Schwarz
Bernice Ross
Carla Cross
Cathy Whatley
Darity Wesley
Dianna Kokoszka
Dottie Herman
Frances Flynn Thorsen
Kaira Sturdivant Rouda
Kim Ades
Laurie Moore-Moore
Lenn Harley
Marilyn Wilson
Pam O'Connor
Pat Vredevoogd Combs
Patti Kouri
Shari Chase
Sherry Chris
Terry Murphy
Vicki Cox

Top 100

Rounding out the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Real Estate Leadership (in alphabetical order by first name) are:

Betty Graham, Beverly Faull, Bonnie Erikson, Brenda Casserly, Brenda Shipplett, Carmen Multhauf, Carol Clarke, Claudia Wicks, Darlene Lyons, Debbie Campagnola, Debra Ashwer, Donna Lee Laue, Edith Lank, Frances Martinez Myers, Ilyce Glink, Janet Branton, Jennifer Cummings, Joyce Bea Sterling, Joyce Paron, Judy Moses, Judy Stark, Karel Murray, Kimberly Gorsuch-Bradbury, Laurie Keenan, Lee Pappa, Lois Weis, Lorna Borenstein, Margaret Dixon, Maria Patterson, Mary Doyle Kimball, Mary Umberger, Maureen Mccabe, Nina Cottrell, Pamela Alexander, Pamela Geurds Kabati, Pamela Leibman, Pat Jensen, Patricia Choi, Robin Mueck, Ruth Ann Pepple, Sarah Shoemaker, Sharon Simms, Shelia Bair, Stacey Moncrieff, Sue Doerfler, Susan Johnson, Sylvia Shelnutt, Tami Bonnell and Tara-Nicholle Nelson. Bios of many of the finalists are listed at www.realestatewiki.com

Incredibly impressive list of great women.

Congratulations to everyone!!

Who are you most excited to see make it to the Top 25?

Interesting!! Another Online Community for Real Estate Launches

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:15:42 -0500

Last weekend, real estate agents and brokers got introduced to yet another social and business network to participate in when online real estate news service, Broker Agent Professional, launched Broker Agent Social. Within the first 100 hours after launch they exploded to 2,000 members - adding a new member every few minutes.

Broker Agent Social enters an already crowded field dominated by ActiveRain of course as well as other large online communities such as RealTown, Zillow Community, Inman Community and RealSeekr.

It isn't that there's not room for one more as I actually suspect we will see another dozen or more develop over the next year as different online communities each strive to find their niche and target audience. According to Morgan Stanley, networking online has become the 2^nd largest activity online after email.

Not all online communities are of course the same as My Space, Facebook, LinkedIn, Buzznet and Hi5 have already proven. In their case differentiation, at least in the beginning, may have started as a group of school friends, an international social network with a local flavor or an online community featuring a specific interest such as pop, punk or rock bands.

It will not be any different for real estate online communities. Each one is going to have to first its specific importance and usefulness to its members and secondly find a revenue model that they can sustain. Although initial indications were that marketers strongly supported online networks, most of the largest networks have yet to turn a profit and with a downturn in the economy advertising budgets are being reeled in.

That said I am still positive that online networks will play a significant role in shaping the future of the home buying transaction and I have dedicated a trend to them in my 2009 Swanepoel TRENDS Report that is due for release on 2/2/09.

Time will tell who will be able to build a loyal and meaningful following that will cherish their online relationship enough to stay active members. Having a lot of members is important but it is the focus and specialization that instills the desire to for members to return on a frequent basis and it is quality of the content that encourages participation and loyalty - both key factors in long term survival.

So, in your opinion, which are the three best online communities in real estate? Now be objective...

Remaining Positive and Making a Difference

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:36:16 -0400

Despite congressional passage of the historic $700 billion bailout legislation, which was signed by President Bush on Saturday, Oct. 4, the Dow Jones Index tumbled 22% last week; the worst week in its 118 year history.

Some calculations indicate that since the beginning of the year U.S. corporations have declined about $8 trillion in value ($20 trillion to $12 trillion) and we have seen giants stumble and fade like Countrywide, Washington Mutual, Indy Mac Bank, Lehman Brothers, AIG Insurance and Wachovia.

The current headlines read: Credit Crisis, Financial Meltdown and Stock Market crash.

It all reminds us so much of the year 1906; 102 years ago.

The city San Francisco had just been savaged by a major earthquake measuring 7.8. Over 30 fires caused by ruptured gas mains destroyed approximately 25,000 buildings in 490 city blocks causing a firestorm that lasted for four days and nights.

The event became the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history.

In the wake of this calamity one man took a stand and on behalf of his bank to help rescue the situation. He was Amadeo Giannini, the founder and President of Bank of Italy. Following the earthquake he sent out a telegram to his clients stating:

"Building Destroyed - Vaults Intact - Credit Unaffected."

The following day he opened for business and despite circumstances loaned money to as many people as he could to facilitate rebuilding the city, the businesses and thousands of people's lives.

He continued to create the first state-wide branch banking system and in 1920 renamed his bank, Bank of America. By 2008 Bank of America had become one of the Top 10 banks on the world, and according to assets the largest in the U.S.

What an inspirational story of success and the difference one person can make.

Who do you think, person or company, will be the success story of the current crisis?

5 Factors that will Shape the your Future

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:22:02 -0500

Real estate professionals need to think differently about the future. They need to do more and they need to move faster.

It has now been more than 10 years since my first book on trends, Real Estate confronts Reality, and many of the changes that we have been writing and speaking about are now coming to fruition. Things are definitely changing, and on a large scale. Within the next five years the real estate brokerage industry will significantly have changed and brokers and agents that don't adapt now will not enjoy the benefits of the next economic upswing.

Many of the leading companies of the next few decades are already starting to emerge and the time to stake your claim is now. How do you do that? The answer, of course, is not a simple one, but one that I will nevertheless endeavor over the course of the next few months to shed some light on.

Let's start our journey by identifying five factors that will characterize the future:

1. Change

Change is real. It is neither bad nor necessarily good. However it is constant and ever present. It is the very essence of life. So change in our industry is not something new, nor should it be deemed unexpected. It will however alter they way you do business. The more change we experience in a condensed time frame, the larger the transformation will be.

2. Complexity

Most adjustments in life are usually hard and therefore we by nature resist them. We have to deal with many changes occurring at the same time that are integrated with activities, products and processes we do not always understand - all of which create a myriad of complexities. And as the future is uncertain and ever changing these complexities just cloud the issue, often hiding very change needed.

3. Confusion

And so the change together with the complexity creates confusion for us. We become bewildered by the new and often fixated with the idea that we cannot do something. This uncertainty is unfounded and must be overcome. As certain as there are new things you do not know, so also is the fact that you can master any new product, service or skill and that the path going forward can be revealed.

4. Choice

Remember that every scenario provides options and alternatives. Failure is more often than not self imposed barriers. Each problem, obstacle and impediment has more than one solution and you have the capability of discovering it. It just requires commitment, focus, time and execution.

5. Courage

Do not resist change. Embrace it. Make it work for you. Find the thread from the past that you can carry into the future - build on your existing knowledge by adding new knowledge, grow your skill set by expanding your horizons and remain competitive by embracing innovation. Rather than resisting or fearing the change help shape the future of the industry.

Every year the Swanepoel TRENDS Report identifies, analyzes and then details out the most important and imminent changes that are expected to impact the real estate industry over the coming 12 - 18 months. The 2009 edition is currently in the final 60 days of research and writing.

If you have information that you would like to share with me feel free to email me and my research team at 2009@REtrends.com before Monday, November 17^th.

Real Estate Trends: Latest on Financial and Natural Disasters

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:05:40 -0400

The worst 7 days in financial market history ever! Prepare yourself for a delayed real estate recovery.

What a week and weekend this has been - the Government, State Rescue Operations and large corporations were all very busy. Millions of people were and remain at risk on many different levels - millions were affected by hurricane Ike, millions remain on the doorstep of foreclosure and millions will be affected by the closing and restructuring of various Fortune 500 companies.

Worst Housing Slump in History

Treasury had to step in to save Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from almost certain disaster. Collectively these two giant hold about 50% of the countries mortgages. Their initial $200 billion dollar bailout symbolizes the largest bailout by the U.S. government ever. Ever!

Worst Financial Collapse in History

On top of that the Government had to provide $29 billion in loans for the shotgun marriage between Bear Sterns and JP Morgan Chase and the $9 billion for failed IndyMac Bank.

And another rescue this weekend was the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co for $50 billion by Bank of America. Meanwhile the chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of 158 year-old Lehman Brothers - estimated at $639 billion will be the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history ever. Ever!

Worst Texas Natural Disaster in History

Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Bay, the heart of America's oil production over the weekend and causing untold flooding and damage. Early calculations are already estimating the damage to be in the ball park of $100 billion making this one of the largest natural disasters in the US. The cost of Katrina was estimated to range between $250-300 billion.

This is on top of the estimated cost of hurricane Rita of $4 billion and hurricane Ivan at $2.6 billion. Despite short term drop in oil prices, Ike's impact will most likely be felt across the country as gas prices are expected to rise to $4 a gallon again in the wake of closed refineries.

Question for Rainers: When do you think the real estate market will recover in your neck of the woods?

Real Estate Trends Update: Fidelity - Land America

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:35:09 -0500

On November 7^th, while I was at the NAR convention in Orlando, Fidelity surprised us all by announcing that it would be acquiring LandAmerica in an all stock deal valued at $128 million. This merger would have great the largest title insurance group with about a 45% market share. In terms of the agreement Fidelity had time till today, November 21^st to back out of the deal based on their due diligence. Well, last night, Friday at 8:00PM Eastern time they did exactly that.

The deals off!

TRENDS UPDATE: Royal LePage Buys GMAC Real Estate

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:59:20 -0400

GMAC Financial Services has sold GMAC Real Estate to Brookfield Asset Management, Inc., the owners of Royal LePage, the largest Canadian residential real estate brokerage company. The transaction is expected to close before year end. The transaction includes all three of GMAC's home services divisions including: GMAC Global Relocation Services, GMAC Real Estate and GMAC Home Services Mortgage.

Women are the Best !!

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:22:00 -0400

Women have not only reached the top of the real estate leadership pyramid, they are proving themselves to be great leaders. Bold words, coming for a man, but my research shows that in the last couple of years women have moved into the #1 or #2 positions at many of the country's largest real estate companies.

When compared to many other professions and industries, real estate has long been one where women can more easily achieve success and equality with men. The National Association of Realtors profile even put the number of all sales agents at 65% female. But that's not what I am referring to - I mean management, and not even at middle management levels but executive levels.

For example here are some of the women in executive positions in today's real estate brokerage industry:

• Mo Anderson - President, Keller Williams Real Estate

• Shelia Bair - Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

• Tami Bonnell - President EXIT USA

• Lorna Borenstein - President, Move, Inc.

• Debbie Campagnola - CEO, ARELLO

• Brenda Casserly - President, ERA Real Estate

• Shari Chase - President , Chase International

• Sherry Chris - CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

• Beverly Faull - General Manager, Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions

• Helen Hanna Casey - President, Howard Hanna Real Estate

• Dottie Herman - CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman

• Laurie Janick - General Counsel, NAR

• Susan Johnson - President , Real Estate Settlement Providers Council

• Laurie Keenan - President, Prudential Real Estate Affiliates

• Margaret Kelly - COO, REMAX International

• Pamela Leibman - CEO, The Corcoran Group

• Gail Liniger - Vice Chairman, REMAX International

• Pam O'Connor - CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World

• Joyce Paron - President, EXIT Canada

• Kaira Rouda - COO, Real Living

• Brenda Shipplett - COO, Long & Foster Companies

• Sarah Shoemaker - COO, Real Living

• Pat Vredevoogd Combs -NAR President 2007

Can you name others?

This eye-opening discussion is but the first part of Trend #10 in my 2008 Swanepoel Trends Report (http://www.ReTrends.com). Rounding out Trend #10, "Shattered Glass" as the trend is listed in the Report, is an evaluation of the important impact of the Youth and Minorities in real estate. I will discuss those two groups in another blog, on another day.

For now, it's the women. Let's see if we can create a list of the Top 100 Women in Real Estate right here on ActiveRain.

PS: If you were wondering who the pretty woman is in the blog, well I have to confess, it's my wife, Era Swanepoel.

Information You Can Count On - 2009 Trends Report Opens for Contributions

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:30:04 -0500

Change seems to be the buzz word this year, with Barack Obama touting "Change We Need," John McCain promoting "Real Change" and even Hillary Clinton saying "Change you can count on."

Every year the Swanepoel TRENDS Report identifies, analyzes and then details out the imminent changes that are expected to impact the real estate industry over the coming 12 - 18 months. The 2009 Report is currently in the final 60 days of research and writing and obviously with all the recent financial disasters, the energy crisis, the housing collapse and foreclosure catastrophe this has made 2008 the worst year in real estate and financial history.

So with 500 million cars clogging our roads, 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide produced per year and a government financial bail out package of $700 billion we have been bombarded with huge numbers. What do they mean and how big is 700,000,000,000 - really. Well, 700 billion M&M's would be enough to give every American 10 one-pound bags - or alternatively $700 billion could buy every person on the earth 87 McDonalds combo meals.

So what does it all mean to the real estate industry? That remains the $64,000 question and this is where the annual Swanepoel TRENDS report tries to provide insights, information and interpretation. And although 2008 has had more than its fair share of adversity, misfortune always provides a new opportunity if one knows where to look. Knowledge of course provides that foresight.

Already thousands of hours of researching has been invested in drafting the 2009 Swanepoel TRENDS Report by not only the regular team of analysts but over 50 regular industry leaders and contributors.

While we believe that the Swanepoel TRENDS Report is the most thorough and complete report of its kind it is impossible for us to cover the industry from top to bottom and, as we have done in past years, we would like to invite your input before we finalize the report for 2009.

During the month of November the Team at RealSure is opening the doors and inviting anyone involved the residential real estate brokerage industry to write to us and tell us if they feel they know of or are involved with any new, innovative product or service or a company that has set a course that is changing or could potentially change the industry.

If you believe that you have information that will help us provide a more accurate assessment of the industry and the trends and strategies shaping our future please email us. However, we cannot promise that everything we receive will make it into the 2009 Swanepoel TRENDS Report. We can however promise that no piece of information will go unread.

This year's special email address is 2009@REtrends.com and it will be open to receive input until Monday, November 17^th. You may also send any personal quotes on the industry or the Trends Report should you wish to be cited. We do however ask that you do not send confidential information or product promotional material.

For more information on the 2009 Report visit www.REtrends.com

Education is the Next Civil War

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:22:41 -0400

So said John McCain during his acceptance speech and the RNC convention.

And I think he's right!

He was, of course, talking about our youth - I am, of course, thinking about my friends the real estate professionals.

Let's start with our kids. Survey after survey states that the US is falling behind when it comes to international education rankings. It would seem that many countries like Japan, Korea, Finland, New Zealand and even the United Kingdom have developed more effective education systems in recent years.

Generally speaking US reading results are lower than 30 years ago, and in a 2006 reading survey spanning 40 countries our 4th graders came 14th. SAT scores are basically unchanged in the last 3 decades. Even in science in which the USA features the best we are behind countries such as Finland, Hong Kong, Australia and, Germany. Even our neighbors to the north, Canada are above us.

So John McCain or Barack Obama, you have an important and huge responsibility on your shoulders for the decade ahead.

Meanwhile, back on the real estate ranch we are also sadly lacking. Compared to many other "jobs" or "professions" we are in most cases way behind. In a few states you can get your real estate license for as little as 40 hours.

40 hours??

That's about 5% the time we take every year just to research and write Swanepoel Trends Report. So what's in the Real Estate Licensing Exam? 100 multiple choice questions, some basic comprehension of real estate terms and a few simple math calculations.

Not good enough!! Do we always have to give everyone an incentive to do the right thing?

If we want smarter and brighter kids that have a better future, then education is the key.

If we want more professional real estate agents that have a successful career, then education is key.

So what should we do in the Real Estate industry to take a quantum leap forward?

Real Estate Trends: 5 Solutions to Increase Productivity in a Down Market

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:22:11 -0400

Although a cold chill has blown on the real estate market and sales are down across the country there are still many opportunities for quality real estate professionals. When the market was hot, every Tom, Dick and Harry wanted in - now we actually have an opportunity to separate the good from the bad and the ugly.

Here are five proposed strategies that will not only keep Realtors afloat until the next upswing but could actually place them in a better position for when the market does return...and return it will.

1. Maximizing Technology and the Internet

Google should be a part of every real estate professional's online lead strategy as placing high on organic search results has become very important to any serious agent. At the same time integrating your key activities such as marketing, MLS, customer management, etc. need to be integrated into one easily accessible web-based system.

Agents should use this year to make sure that when the next boom arrives they will be able to process the entire home buying and selling transaction digitally.

2. Building Teams Correctly

The creation of smaller more effective business units or teams within larger companies has been around for awhile, but during the last decade the concept has gained momentum. RE/MAX now estimates that 27% of their affiliates are working on a team.

There are basically two different kinds of teams. The first is where two or more producing agents combine their practices under one banner to provide greater coverage for themselves and their clients and the second where a lead agent starts building a business inside the brokerage operation. The lead agent then hires administrative staff to increase his or her time in more productive and income generating sales activities.

No matter what the size or how a team is structured, the key to building a successful team requires following the correct steps, getting the right chemistry between all team members and executing on a deliberate business plan.

3. Solidifying Your Business Plan

In today's competitive and complex marketplace, an entrepreneur's success is far from guaranteed. Moving into 2008 or 2009 without a well thought out and implemented business plan is a disaster waiting to happen. Yet so many agents fly by the seat of their pants.

A good business plan should include:

An assessment of your current situation.
A definition of your business focus and strategic intent.
A clear vision of what results you want to achieve by objectives.
A list of action steps that you will utilize to achieve your goals.
An understanding of why you need regular analysis and occasional revisions of your game plan.

4. Using Virtual Assistants

The ways in which Virtual Assistants (VAs) can help real estate agents become more productive are limited only by one's imagination. And there are few, if any, support functions that cannot be handled by a VA - including functions such as:

Transaction Coordination
Listing Marketing Coordination
Staying in Touch
Online Lead Management
Operational Management
Screen Email and Phone Messages
Ad Writing
Website Maintenance

5. Diversifying Your Business

Diversification is the order of the day. For our industry there are two types of diversification - geographic and product or service. In these slow times it may be wise to view the needs of your customer base to see if there are other profitable products that may be a good fit to offer past clients. It is also a perfect time for agents to expand their skills and knowledge by getting educated on other transactional aspects such as mortgage, escrow, home owner's insurance, home warranty, remodeling, repairing, painting, landscaping, etc. The advantage of bringing some of these services in-house is the ability to eliminate the expense of redundant overhead and to derive additional income from the same client.

SUMMARY

As the licensee ranks begin to thin out smart agents and brokers have an excellent opportunity to refine, refocus and re-charge their business.

Good luck and God Bless!

Online Social Networks: Is ActiveRain the LinkedIn or Facebook of Real Estate?

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:25:15 -0400

Social networking is a concept that's been around since J.A. Barnes first coined the term in a sociology report back in 1954. It moved onto the Web in 1995 with the launch of ClassMates, SixDegrees, Epinions and Friendster. Then of course came MySpace and Facebook and the world would never be the same again.

It's clear that marketers are embracing social networking as reflected in the projections for advertising on these sites. According to the advertising and marketing research firm eMarketer, ad spending on U.S. social networking sites in 2007 was projected to reach $865 million. This is up from $350 million in 2006 with expectations that it will increase to $2.15 billion in 2010.

As every major consumer advertiser realizes that if you can engage effectively with these newly networked masses they become agents of your brand. Just look at how fans dress in "branded" clothing at sporting events - now multiply that by millions of social networkers and you begin to get a picture of the potential.

Another research firm, Compete.com, calculates that in 2007 Americans spent about 12% of all their Internet time on social networks. The Center for Medial Research reports that the average American spends 105 minutes of spare time online every day. That represents almost 30 minutes per day in a social network; 15 hours per month or 4½ weeks per year. Not to belabor the point but if you add in the average time Americans waste at work (2 hours/day), of which over 44% is spent on the Internet, the number of hours expended on social networking becomes huge.

As people make social networking sites a bigger part of their lives online, communities are also shaping the real estate business and the home buying process. The 2008 Swanepoel TRENDS Report (www.ReTrends.com) ranks social networks as the #1 trend for 2008.

And who is leading the charge?

It would seem that ActiveRain has become the LinkedIn and Facebook of Real Estate. What do you think?

7 Steps to Save Your Hide of Going to Jail.

Stefan Swanepoel (Author, Speaker & Trends Guru) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:37:45 -0400

"Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the nation - especially in the suburbs," says Congresswoman Melissa Bean. The FTC receives over 250,000 reports of identity theft every year and USA Today reported that in 2007 an estimated 260 million records were stolen - that amounts to 8 records stolen every second of every day. One of the largest breaches to date occurred last year when TJ Maxx reported 45 million records stolen.

What are you doing Mr. Realtor® to prevent this from happening to you?

The critical important trend impacting everyone in real estate is the central focal point of trend #6 in the new 2008 edition of the Swanepoel TRENDS Report. According to the Report the protection of a customer's data has always been important, but it was largely taken for granted prior to the Internet. Most data prior to the Internet resided in paper format, was typically communicated through snail mail or delivery services and was kept in paper file folders. With the advent of computers and the Internet, data on any given real estate transaction is now stored in multiple databases and computers, transaction management systems, Internet websites as well as paper files.

"The main concerns for real estate brokers, agents and franchises are how to protect the data and information we are the custodians," says Swanepoel. "The responsibilities and legal exposure that real estate professionals have is much larger than they think " he cautions. With an ongoing push to have more real estate data online, that challenge increases and the problem becomes more complicated.

The 2008 Swanepoel TRENDS Report recommends that the key to success and minimizing exposure for real estate brokers and agents will come from evaluating, implementing and constant monitoring their systems. One seven point plan that they recommends comes from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Below an extract from the Report:

1. Only hold personal data you need. Nonessential data can be a liability rather than an asset. Do you really need customers' Social Security numbers? Do you have to store their credit card numbers forever? Avoid gathering nonessential personal data, archive it after use rather than storing it in readily accessible customer master files, and discard or archive data for inactive accounts.

2. Keep personal data secure. Store data securely, preferably in encrypted form. Avoid storing personal data on laptops, PDAs and other mobile devices. Limit access to only those who need it. Have a full audit trail of who accesses each record. Restrict large-scale downloads and monitor employees for unusual access volume or timing. Ensure good physical as well as information systems security over personal data. Consider the security aspects of how you transmit personal data to customers and employees. Sending thousands of letters or e-mails with such data is asking for trouble, as they may be intercepted.

3. Do what you say you'll do. Only promise employees and customers a level of personal data security that you can deliver. Whatever you promise, ensure you adhere to it.

4. Make security a priority with your employees. Background checks are essential on all employees who will have access to personal information. This will not guarantee that you will be protected from employee theft -- studies show that employees who commit white-collar crime tend to be first-time offenders -- but it will help protect you from predatory employees.

5. Don't forget your vendors. If you use vendors to handle, process or store personal data, ensure that their data security measures at least equal yours. Require those vendors to sign nondisclosure agreements to protect that data. Insist on periodic security audits and vulnerability assessments to make sure your data is being securely handled.

6. Test your plan. Once you've put in place appropriate measures, have internal auditors or independent data security experts test them periodically, looking for holes. Its better that you find them before someone else does.

7. Plan for the worst. No matter how good your information security system is, there is always the potential for a breach. If a worst-case scenario occurs, be ready to deal with it quickly. Have a written response plan in place to deal with data recovery, customer notification, public relations, and legal issues.