The Residential Specialist, March/April 2018 by The Residential Specialist

residential

mar + apr

B US I N E S S I N TELL IGE N CE FOR THE R RC PROFE S S IONA L

2018

THE

SPECIALIST ALSO IN THIS

ISSUE

Beat the top 5 agent mistakes Storm-damaged markets How to work with first-timers

A REALTOR®’s African odyssey Break into the luxury market The best of Sell-a-bration®

IA L C E U S PE S IS

GROWTH EXPERIENCE

HARVEST A BOUNTIFUL ROI THROUGH YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS CRS-035

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Mar 20 Apr 18

vol. 17, no. 2

SO W

contents

W + REAP RO +G

I M I Z E YO

This issue highlights activities that maximize your return on investment (ROI) to deliver the greatest benefit.

THE AMERICAN DREAM

UNDER THE HOOD

RIGHT ON THE MONEY

Agents find homeownership still reigns while renting holds court

Today’s homebuyers are attracted to a home’s bones, mechanicals and structural improvements

For the highest return, REALTORS® use a multifaceted marketing approach

By Mary Beth Klatt

By Donna Shryer

By Megan Craig

PLUS

Look for the top apps that REALTORS® use to help boost their productivity and sales. By Gwen Moran

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The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

Mar Apr

contents

departments

Mar 20 Apr 18 vol. 17, no. 2

4 VANTAGE POINT

By Gary Williams, CRS

5 ENTRY POINTS

Industry Headlines, Business Technology, Ideas & Trends

6 SMART SOLUTIONS: Sidestep Your Troubles

How to conquer 5 common mistakes agents make

By Andrew Conner

9 INSIDE TRACK: After the Flood

Learn how to work with clients who want to buy or sell homes with possible storm damage.

By Daniel Rome Levine

12 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: First Steps Marketing to and supporting first-time homebuyers

By Myrna Traylor

15 PEER TO PEER: Doc Reiss, CRS Town & Country, Port Angeles, Washington

34 WORK + LIFE

Disrupt You! by Jay Samit Reviewed by Allan Fallow

Discovering New Hobbies and Friends Relieve stress and re-energize your social life with one of these new hobbies

inside RRC 37 NEWS FROM THE COUNCIL

Highlights from Sell-a-bration® 2018; CRSs of the Year

40 LEARN FROM THE BEST A CRS Instructor explains how to break into luxury real estate

41 RRC CONNECT 48 ASK A CRS

Fill in the blank: “The craziest thing a client ever said to me was …”

ON LY A T TR S MAG. C OM THE RESIDENTIAL SPECIALIST ONLINE Visit the website at trsmag.com to access the digital edition of The Residential Specialist.

Missed anything at Sell-a-bration®? Download every breakout session from the education catalog. from your education history. SAB Video recordings of the general 2018 registrants can go to My Dash- sessions are available at CRS. board and download audio recordings com/SAB2018-live-stream. of the sessions for free. Non-regisFind more live coverage from our trants can purchase the recordings Facebook group, We Are CRS.

Coming Next Issue ... B US I N E S S I N TE L L I GE N C E F OR TH E R R C PR OFE S S I O NA L

Niche marketing—the advantages of finding your niche It’s often recommended that in addition to a primary area, agents become an expert in working a niche market such as a geographic farm, a specific age group, international buyers, etc. Listing strategies in areas with limited inventory Learn about listing and pricing strategies CRSs are using to adapt to a low-inventory environment.

EDITOR Michelle Huffman mhuffman@crs.com 800.462.8841 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andrew Conner Megan Craig Mary Beth Klatt Daniel Rome Levine Gwen Moran Donna Shryer Myrna Traylor 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Gary Williams, CRS President Elect Michael Burkhard, CRS First Vice President Richard Waystack, CRS Immediate Past President Leigh Brown, CRS Members Jen Ward, CRS Shawn Cunningham, CRS Steve Stewart, CRS Yolanda Lowe, CRS Vinnie Tracey, CRS Chief Executive Officer Lana Vukovljak Staff Liaison Patricia Stodolny PUBLICATION MANAGEMENT www.glcdelivers.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Chuck Gekas Director of Business Development, CRS 312.321.4443 cgekas@crs.com The Residential Specialist is published for Certified Residential Specialists, general members and Subscribers by the Residential Real Estate Council. The magazine’s mission is: To be a superior educational resource for CRS Designees and members, providing the information and tools they need to be exceptionally successful in buying and selling residential real estate. The Residential Specialist is published bimonthly by the Residential Real Estate Council, 430 North Michigan Ave., Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611-4092. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices. Change of address? Email requests to crshelp@crs.com, call Customer Service at 800.462.8841 or mail to RRC at the above address. The Residential Specialist (USPS-0021699, ISSN 1539-7572) is distributed to members of the Council as part of their membership dues. Non-members may purchase subscriptions for $29.95 per year in the U.S., $44.95 in Canada and $89.95 in other international countries. All articles and paid advertising represent the opinions of the authors and advertisers, not the Council. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: The Residential Specialist, c/o Residential Real Estate Council, 430 North Michigan Ave., Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611-4092. COPYRIGHT 2018 by the Residential Real Estate Council. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

Publishing Manager Phil Malkinson Art Directors Scott Oldham Ivette Cortes

Systems every agent needs Find out about systems that can take you from lead to closing, and the new CRS course that discusses the most important systems every CRS should use. Productivity strategies: What could work for you? Learn about techniques to help you make more productive use of your time.

PLUS:

Blockchain is a decentralized database with continuously updated digital records available to everyone on the network. Learn how blockchain has the potential to completely change how real estate transactions are handled. Would you like to be a source for a future story in The Residential Specialist? Send an email to mhuffman@crs.com to be added to our potential source list. To see a list of the topics we’ll be covering, check out the magazine’s 2018 editorial calendar online at crs.com.

reside SPEC ntial IALIS mar + apr

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WHO ON YOUR

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Beat the Storm top 5 agent -dama mistak ged How to es work wit markets h first-ti mers

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A RE ALT Break OR®’s Africa into the n odysse The bes luxury marke y t of Se ll-a-br t ation®

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could benefit by receiving a personal copy of The Residential Specialist?

GROW TH E XP ERIE

CRS-035

STAY INFORMED

NCE HARVE ST ROI TH A BOUNTIFU L R OU MARK ETING GH YOUR EFFOR TS

The Residential Real Estate Council provides

crs.com

superior education, exceptional networking opportunities and critical resources. The Council’s flagship magazine, The Residential Specialist, delivers the latest industry trends, success stories and proven strategies to grow your business. To subscribe for yourself or a colleague, call 800.462.8841. Note: Members of the Residential Real Estate Council receive the magazine as part of their member benefits.

2018

TANGIBLE

[vantage point]

from the desk of Gary Williams, CRS 2018 RRC president

values



When I’m out talking to REALTORS® about the value of becoming a CRS, sometimes I have trouble being succinct. For me, the quality education the Council offers and the networking opportunities for designees has been career-changing. Joining the Council allowed me to achieve levels of success in real estate that never would have been possible without it. This issue of The Residential Specialist is all about measuring that value. When looking for a high return on investment, there’s no better value than earning a CRS Designation. Let’s break it down: ÄEducation: Ä Taking a course from the Council can provide you with the skills to grow your business. Convert one or two leads, land a new client or negotiate higher prices for your sellers because of something you learned in class, and your investment just paid for itself. I decided to travel and take classes in different states. In doing so, I met other CRSs along the way who became referral sources for me—making them even more valuable ÄReferrals: Ä As part of your dues, you have a complimentary listing in Find a CRS and the Print Referral Directory, but you also have free access to the Qualified Consumer Leads program. You don’t have to do anything other than maintain your membership, but by investing a little more of your time to get engaged with the Council and your colleagues, or by attending events like Sell-a-bration® and meeting your fellow designees, your referral possibilities increase. I can’t tell you just how many referrals I have received by going to Sell-a-bration® year after year. Giving or receiving just one referral can pay for years of dues. ÄResources: Ä Use the resources available to you, take time to read articles, listen to webinars or podcasts or utilize the Your Home newsletter as another touch point with your sphere, and I am positive you will be rewarded in return!” There’s no doubt in my mind that being a CRS is worth every penny I’ve invested. Sometimes it’s important to take a step back, do the math and continue to invest in yourself. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain and, of course, you’ll be way ahead the game.

THERE’S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT BEING A CRS IS WORTH EVERY PENNY I’VE INVESTED.

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[entry points] + industry headlines + business technology + ideas & trends

FUTURE TENSE

DIGITAL GOLD The real estate industry is taking its first steps in adopting cryptoÂ currencies (bitcoin) and the technology that backs them (blockchain) in what has the potential to be enormously disruptive in real estate, according to Realtor.com. Blockchain allows for the fast, secure and transparent transfer of digital goods, including money and intellectual property. Bitcoin is a form of virtual currency, more commonly known as cryptocurrency. Both are completely overhauling the way digital transactions are conducted. In the real estate industry, proponents say it can be applied to the process for recording and transferring property titles, providing an

Blockchain [blok-cheyn]

A digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly. efficient and secure way to track who owns a piece of property; bitcoin will be used to buy real estate, and blockchain technology will be used to record the transfers. Several U.S. states, including Arizona and Vermont, have already enacted laws to allow the technology to be used in property deals. And some real estate companies are beginning to experiment with using cryptocurrencies for such things as rental payments or even to buy property.

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The Residential Real Estate Council

BY THE NUMBER S Last fall, an apartment in Ukraine was sold for the equivalent of

60,000

and became the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first residential property purchased via blockchain.

crs.com

Mar Apr

[entry points]

sidestep

YOUR TROUBLES

How to conquer 5 common mistakes agents make

Smart

Solutions streamlining your business through technology

By Andrew Conner



The most successful agents are always striving to improve themselves, whether it’s through increasing their knowledge, being more productive or communicating more clearly. But we all make mistakes. Learn how to avoid or fix these common mistakes identified by agents across the country. MISTAKE #1

Letting details fall through the cracks

Sometimes REALTORS® are too concerned with closing a deal and they lose focus on the details. However, details matter, says Carol Temple, CRS, REALTOR® at Coldwell Banker in Arlington, Virginia. “If you don’t have a thorough understanding of all forms and associated paperwork, you are going to get yourself and others in hot water,” she says. “I will never forget having to inform a selling agent that the buyers’ home inspection contingency had expired and, as a result, the

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buyers had no ability to negotiate repairs or remedies with the seller.” Temple recommends preventing issues like this by using a system to keep track of deadlines, such as contingency expiration dates. As soon as a contract is ratified, she notes important dates in the file and then adds those dates to her calendar, so they aren’t missed. MISTAKE #2

Communicating poorly

Strong relationships, whether between you and your client, or you and other agents, form the foundation of a successful business. Dave Pautsch, CRS, and principal broker with RE/MAX Integrity in Albany, Oregon, uses sales coach Tom Hopkins’ philosophy of comparing the agent-client relationship to dating. Many agents fail because they don’t take the time to invest in developing the relationship. “Understanding your clients’ ‘why,’ and all of the components that go into that ‘why,’ help you to look out for their best interests,” he says. “You have to get to know each other, and that means asking lots of questions.”

LEARNING YOUR CLIENT’S ‘WHY’

Poor communication with the cross-sale agent during negotiations can also end a potential deal. Randy Wells, REALTOR® with Windermere Real Estate in Spokane, Washington, recommends staying in touch with agents on the other side of a deal as much as you can, to avoid giving a bad impression. “Silence from the other side during the negotiation often ends up killing the deal,” he says. “If I can at least call my client and say, ‘I just heard from the other agent and here is what I know,’ my clients won’t have to let their imagination take over as to what is delaying the process.”

For Dave Pautsch, CRS, and Principal Broker with RE/MAX Integrity in Albany, Oregon, one of the most important things an agent can do is learn why their clients are looking to buy. And usually the “why” has two components: the analytical and the emotional. While you obviously want to get the analytical information about your client’s needs—how many bedrooms, the square footage they want, whether they want a yard, etc.—it’s also important to understand the underlying reason why they want those things. For example, Pautsch will ask questions like, “How many people will be living in the home?” rather than asking, “How many bedrooms will you need?” because it helps spark a conversation about the client’s life. “When someone says they want at least a half-acre of land, my follow up question is: ‘That’s interesting, I’m curious if you’re looking for privacy, or do you just like yard work?’” says Pautsch. “It usually gets a laugh, but also speaks to the ‘why’ behind the question. A lot of agents get very focused on the transaction, but [in real estate] we’re not getting to a paycheck—we benefit from the paycheck, but we’re getting to a relationship.”

MISTAKE #3

Not investing in education

“Although I have designations now, if I had to do it over again, I would have begun working toward them sooner in my career,” says Susanna Madden, CRS, broker-associate at RE/MAX ACR Elite Group in Tampa, Florida. “I always tell new agents: the more you learn, the more you earn.” Madden has seen the effect designations have on her own career. She currently has 11 designations and she calls her CRS Designation the “granddaddy” of them all. Not only have these designations helped her win clients—either through the credibility her designations give her or the expertise gained through her education— but they help her make better decisions, which also benefits her company as a whole. “When you’re at an appointment and you talk CRS, your tone changes,” she says. “And even if you don’t get that listing, you’ve left them

knowing it’s important. And I have seen clients come back to me after meeting with other agents [who don’t have the CRS Designation or other designations].” MISTAKE #4

Failing to seize the day

The more efficient you are with your time, the more productive you will be. Terry La Scola, broker with Welcome Home Realty in Frederick, Maryland, recommends organizing your time each day so you can maximize your productivity and serve your clients better. Continued on page 8 }

SECURITY SYSTEMS

BACKGROUND TASK Crimes against real estate agents are a growing problem, but mobile apps are cropping up to help them stay safe, reports the New York Post . In fact, about 44 percent of REALTORS® now use some kind of locator safety app. One app called Forewarn allows an agent to enter a prospective client’s phone number ahead of a blind meeting and get an instant background check. Forewarn says the app can provide information on 80 percent of callers—

providing information on criminal history, car and home ownership, mortgage liens and bankruptcy filings. It can also pull up address histories and other phone numbers. The app is available only to licensed real estate agents. Other apps dedicated to REALTOR® safety include TrustStamp, which relies on biometrics, and Guard Llama, which employs a handheld Bluetooth device that links to the agent’s phone and can alert police.

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[entry points]

sidestep

YOUR TROUBLES }Continued from page 7

La Scola suggests prioritizing your messages, prospecting for new business and even getting yourself motivated for the day by watching a quick motivational video. She also responds to messages quickly (within 30 minutes) throughout the day, even if it’s just to let her clients know she won’t be able to have a conversation until later in the day. “The benefit is your clients are assured they’re important to you,” she says. “If more than 12 hours goes by since you have had contact with a client, they feel ignored. This is critical to building loyalty and a long-term client relationship.” MISTAKE #5

Not doing your homework

When it comes to giving clients a good idea of their property’s value in the market, Rosemarie Doshier, CRS, senior associate broker at The Doshier Team, Shoreline OBX, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, sees too many agents fail to thoroughly research their listings, including reviewing a comparative market analysis (CMA). “Every agent should be doing a CMA on any property they list, and use what has taken place in the past six months, not just the last three,” she says. “Our market has been slow to come back due to a number of overpriced listings, and it is hard to explain to a seller why they are not at a certain price point compared to their neighbor.” Doshier says that the CMA helps you explain this situation to your clients and gives them a clear reason for differences in price. Even though they might not always be happy with the price, giving them hard data will help them realize it is in their best interest. While even the most successful agents still make mistakes, it’s how they analyze those The idea for this article came mistakes that makes from a reader! If the difference. you have ideas for articles, email Michelle Huffman at mhuffman@ crs.com.

Mar Apr

Andrew Conner is an editor and freelance writer based in the Chicago area.

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VR tour by ThinkMobiles. A survey found that VR was only 7 percentage points behind video as consumers’ favorite way to visit homes.

ON THE [OPEN] HOUSE

VIRTUAL ATTRACTION

It seems that virtual reality (VR) technology is popping up everywhere with the growing popularity of VR headsets. Now that includes the real estate industry, too. In fact, VR technology is a trend that Americans are coming to expect in their home buying and selling experiences, according to Coldwell Banker Real Estate’s annual Smart Home Marketplace Survey. Some key findings from the survey include the following: 77 percent of Americans would like to take VR house ÄÄ tours before actually visiting homes for sale. 62 percent of consumers would be more likely to work ÄÄ with an agent who offered VR tour capabilities when selling a home. 68 ÄÄ percent say they would love the ability to utilize VR to see how their current furniture would look in a prospective home. The survey also asked consumers about their preferences when it comes to smart home technology. The results revealed that 32 percent of Americans report having smart home products, including smart thermostats and smoke detectors, in their homes—up from 24 percent last year.

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AFTER THE flood

After hurricanes ravaged Texas and the Caribbean, REALTORS® learn how best to work with clients who want to buy or sell homes with possible storm damage.

Inside Track

By Daniel Rome Levine



In Houston, says Vicki Fullerton, what’s trending in real estate CRS, the first words out of most homebuyers’ mouths these days are, “Did it flood?” With good reason. Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area in August. According to FEMA, widespread flooding damaged over 170,000 homes and caused nearly $200 billion in damage. As much as a Houston home seller affected by the hurricane may not want to talk about the

Boats navigate the flooded streets of a Houston suburb following Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Houston has been slammed by three major storms in the past three years, resulting in billions of dollars in damage.

damage their property sustained with a prospective buyer, Fullerton says complete honesty is the best and only policy. “Whether you got an inch of water or it was all the way up to the second story, you have to fully disclose what happened or you can be held liable,” says Fullerton, a broker associate with RE/MAX in the suburb of The Woodlands and chairman of the board of the Texas Association of REALTORS®.

Rebuilding with care

Before listing a damaged home, Fullerton advises clients to try to get it back as close as Continued on page 10 }

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[entry points]

AFTER THE flood }Continued from page 9

possible to its condition prior to the hurricane or flood. That means hiring reputable service people to remove whatever parts of the home were damaged, and hiring licensed and bonded contractors to put the house back together again with quality products. Fullerton advises clients to save all receipts connected to the rehab and to be able to provide them to prospective buyers, as well as contact information for all the contractors who worked on the home. Once the work is complete, a buyer should hire a reputable inspector, Fullerton says, to go over the entire house, with a special focus on taking moisture readings of the walls and floors. Having done all their due diligence and having put the house back together as carefully as possible, Fullerton says, a seller can now list the property with confidence and not be afraid to answer that inevitable question.

A home damaged by Superstorm Sandy. REALTOR® Jennifer Consolazio, CRS, researches public records of work permits in the New York area to keep track of storm-damaged homes that come up for sale.

Exhaustive research

In Glen Cove, New York, Jennifer Consolazio, a CRS candidate with Destiny International Realty, has helped clients buy and sell homes damaged in numerous big storms, including Hurricane Sandy in 2012. She agrees with Fullerton on the importance of transparency. “The main thing to keep in mind is honesty,” she says. “Do not hold back any information, even if it jeopardizes a sale.”

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When she gets a listing for a storm-damaged home, Consolazio doesn’t just take the seller’s word for what happened to the property and how they fixed it—she independently researches and verifies it. After all, that’s what a careful buyer is going to do. She says her go-to site is the New York City Department of Buildings. There she can find property information free of charge for all five boroughs related to work permits taken out and if they were approved or if there were violations. She says state and local municipalities around the country should have similar sites. Once she is confident she has gathered all the information she Coleen Katz, CRS candidate, with Weichert, can on the home, she has a higher REALTORS®, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, took level of confidence facing proadvantage of Hurricane Sandy to buy a spective buyers. But even then, storm-damaged property at a bargain. The she suggests they not only hire one-bedroom condo in Sea Isle City, New an inspector, but also a structural Jersey, was a total loss after the hurricane engineer to examine the property. and was rebuilt by the prior owners. Katz felt confident making an offer as the seller’s Counseling distraught disclosure laid out in detail everything that was clients damaged and replaced. In addition, she insisted On the Caribbean island of St. Croix, on receipts for all the work and the names of Amy Land-de Wilde, CRS, with Cold- the contractors so she could check them out well Banker St. Croix Realty, says herself. Her inspector also gave it the all-clear. one of the most challenging aspects The property is in a federally designated flood she faced after Hurricane Maria zone, but that doesn’t bother Katz because the struck in September was reassuring condo association carries flood insurance. Katz buyers who had homes under conbought the property in early 2015 for $155,000. tract but hadn’t closed or moved in Today, she estimates it is worth close to yet. She isn’t a therapist, but Land$170,000, and she has rented it out for two de Wilde had to be as empathetic as seasons during the summer for $1,000 a week. one can while reassuring clients that St. Croix and their homes would recover. “The insecurity of moving into a new home after a traumatic event like a hurricane adds another layer of difficulty to what is often an already stressful situation,” she says.

DISASTER BARGAINS

Daniel Rome Levine is a freelance writer based in Chicago. To learn what you can do in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, download the FREE recording “Before and After the Storm: How You Can Assist Your Customers and Community” in the RRC education catalog.

INSPECTION REPORT

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80 percent of all real estate deals are conditional on a home inspection. Be proactive and stand out from the competition by performing a prelisting inspection for your seller. Here are the benefits:

Attracting the highest asking price = more commission for you.

Better negotiating power. As the listing agent, you have the most knowledge about the product, so you don’t want any surprises. When you know about the potential issues of a home, you can decide if the seller should fix them or leave the option to the buyer.

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Use the prelisting inspection as a marketing tool—this is particularly effective in hot markets.

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Price: Starting at $329 apple.com The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

Mar Apr

[entry points]

first STEPS

Marketing to and supporting first-time homebuyers By Myrna Traylor

Window



Even though homeownership strategies to grow your business is a cornerstone of the American economy and a goal for many Americans, helping individuals make the transition from non-owner to owner is a process that requires some management. REALTORS® and CRSs have to approach their neophyte clients in a way that will result in success on both sides of the handshake. First, CRSs must attract these rookie clients. Word-of-mouth

ofOpportunity

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referrals from friends and family go a long way in communities where new buyers have longstanding ties, but relocations or retired brokers can leave a referral gap. “On average, we procure 500 to 1,000 buyer leads a month,” says Barry Jenkins, CRS, of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Virginia Beach, Virginia, “and a high percentage of them are first-time homebuyers.” Jenkins delivers automated content through a variety of channels, including voicemail drops, text messages, videos from BombBomb. com and emails. Since the messages focus on educating the new

buyer, “this inherently creates value with the buyer and we don’t have to ask for their business. They want us to represent them. We hope to close between 160 and 200 transactions this year as a result of this approach,” Jenkins says. Christine Tomovich, CRS, with Your Castle Real Estate in Denver, seizes other opportunities. “The way I market to first-timers is that I talk to everyone. I have a passion for helping them and it shows,” Tomovich says. “If I am buying a pillow in a mattress store, or having a vendor fix something in my home, I ask them if they own a home. We already have somewhat

ASK THE CALCULATOR

There are several “rules of thumb” for calculating how much house—or mortgage—a buyer can afford. Depending on the buyer’s down payment and debt load, these guidelines say that a home price should be anywhere from 2.5 times to 4–5 times their annual gross income. If you don’t have a calculator service in your brokerage, there are dozens of lenders that now offer mortgage affordability calculators online, including Chase.com, QuickenLoans.com, RocketMortgage.com and NerdWallet.com. And for buyers looking for a calculator that is not tied to a lender, you can recommend Realtor.com. And it’s important to offer guidance so they can play with the advanced settings. Share the area taxes, PMI and average homeowners insurance costs to give them the real picture—many first-timers don’t know these figures and won’t think to calculate them on their own. of a relationship since they are helping me with a problem or a purchase myself. I don’t do direct mail marketing or farm. I do try to stay in touch with my sphere.” Other REALTORs® use a blend of old-school and new methods to get people on board. Rick Borelli, CRS, of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services in Lakewood, Ohio, markets to first-time homebuyers through tried-and-true open houses, but augments this with advertising on social media and seminars for first-timers held in his offices. “We contact renters through a program we call The ApartmentDweller’s Trade-In Program,” he says. The program will assume leases for qualified renters, if needed, to facilitate a timely home purchase when stock is available and interest rates are favorable.

Financial education

Undoubtedly, learning the ins and outs of home financing is the biggest hurdle for many first-timers. Dave Pautsch, CRS, with RE/MAX Integrity-Albany in Albany, Oregon, volunteers as an instructor for a regional home-buying counseling program. “I work very hard to educate and inform first-time buyers about how things really work. Separating myth and legend from good practice is a perpetual process,” he says. Pautsch reinforces his teaching through his weekly radio show,

GADGET INSPECTOR

Real Estate Talk, which he uses to inform first-time homebuyers about the realities of saving up for that first big purchase. “On my show and in my interactions with first-time buyers, I offer to pay for [the first-time homebuyer’s] class. The tuition is $45, but that money is well-spent on my part, as paying for the program starts to build a bond and, more importantly, once they’ve completed this class, they are much more confident about the process and how things work.” “In many ways, I approach firsttime buyers like a parent,” Pautsch says. “My goal is for them to be happy, to make good decisions and to achieve their goal.”

Seize the day with the new Bonavita Connoisseur. The eight-cup brewer is compact enough for any kitchen countertop, and its thermal carafe keeps your coffee hot for hours. Plus, the onetouch brewing with auto shut off makes it a breeze to use so you can start a productive day. Price: $190 | bonavitaworld.com

A little hand-holding

As many parents will attest, it can be difficult to get the people you are responsible for to heed your advice. “My buyers are very smart, but new buyers don’t know what they don’t know, so they can head out in a wrong direction,” Tomovich says. “They want to show you what they know and this attitude can get them in trouble.” Tomovich has developed strategies for helping first-timers get over feeling intimidated by their REALTOR®, or worried that they will be manipulated or not get what they want. “To counter these mindsets, I emphasize to them that we are a team,” she says. “I educate them

The Airmega 400S Air Purifier keeps your air fresh all day long. Its built-in air-quality sensor and dualfilter setup automatically adjusts the room’s current air quality. Plus, with the Airmega mobile app you can control the purifier with your smartphone or Amazon Alexa. Price: $750 | airmega.com

Continued on page 14 }

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[entry points]

FUTURE TENSE

first STEPS

THE TREND IS NEAR

}Continued from page 13

It’s important that you use the power of technology to improve the real estate industry. Here are tech trends to watch for in 2018, says Forbes:

about the process as we go looking at homes and they get smarter along the way until they can walk into a house and make pretty accurate assessments of price, neighborhood, features and so on. I tell them they will get to the point where they know a lot about the real estate market. They like being told that and it’s true. Once we are on this more level playing field, they are more willing to listen to me with confidence, and I find they begin to value my experience.”

Transaction Engagement-Focused Tech. The shift from traditional transaction experiences to a more curated online experience has been a growing trend. An example of this is Compass’ launch of Collections, an interactive online home search tool. Considered as “the Pinterest of real estate,” Collections allows buyers and agents to organize, discuss and collaborate on hand-picked properties.

Hi! How can I help you today?

Making it real

Pautsch has also found that making a tangible, practical change in a client’s lifestyle helps some firsttimers understand the week-to-week impact of a mortgage payment. “I encourage all my first-time buyers to start living today like they are paying that mortgage,” he says. “If their rent is $800 a month and they feel that they can afford a mortgage payment of $1,200 a month, then taking the difference ($400), putting it away and not touching it during the next few months as we work through the process will pay big dividends later. First, they will have a nice nest egg to add to their funds for purchase, or perhaps to go toward furniture or a new big-screen TV. More importantly, it will give them confidence that they truly can afford this house when we find it.”

Please enter your response…

The Internet of Things (IoT). The term IoT commonly describes devices that are connected to the internet. In real estate, three trending IoT devices are smart locks, smart thermometers and smart lighting. These smart technologies give you the ability to control a home remotely to prepare for showings, saving time. Plus, they can be a huge selling point.

GADGET INSPECTOR

Myrna Traylor is an editor and freelance writer based in the Chicago area. Meet your Designation Maintenance Requirement today! Read this article and “Right on the Money” on p. 29, take a 10-question quiz and earn 2 credits. Go to CRS.com/ trs-quiz to get started.

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Chatbots. In real estate, chatbots, such as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, have the potential to revolutionize lead generation and customer service. By automating the initial stages of contact between agents and prospects, a chatbot can be more efficient in engaging visitors, resulting in higher lead conversions.

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The Nest Protect alarm is the ultimate protection for any smoke and carbon monoxide leaks in your home. Its Split-Spectrum Sensor detects both fast and slow burning fires and will instantly send an alert to your smartphone. Bonus: It tests itself automatically and lasts up to 10 years.

Never worry about running out of battery life again with the Incase Icon Connected Power Sleeve for MacBook Pro. With a built-in 14,000 mAh power bank, the Power Sleeve can provide users with more than one full charge. It allows you to charge your iPhone and other USB-enabled devices as well.

Price: $119 | store.nest.com

Price: $199.95 | incase.com

[entry points]

Town & Country, Port Angeles, Washington

profiles of people to watch

Doc Reiss, CRS, says he doesn’t sell homes—he helps people get to the next stage of their lives, and real estate is one of the keys. When not working with clients, he’s with his two dogs, Star and Moose. Reiss also works with a project in Togo, Africa, to provide concrete dignity toilets to improve sanitation and provide safety to villagers.

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Photo: Brooke Fitts

Peer to Peer

DOC REISS, CRS

[entry points]

Peer to Peer profiles of people to watch

How and when did you get started in real estate? I was a contractor who specialized in crawlspace and foundation work as well as bathroom remodeling, but after six years of a perfectly clean record, our insurance company dropped us, so we folded. I was involved in the Nor’Wester Rotary’s summer event and my main sponsor was Terry Neske, an owner of the local Windermere office. I told him what had happened and he said, “You ought to get into real estate. You know people in the community. People know you. And you have a background as an independent contractor. You could do this.” And I did … right at the beginning of the bubble in 2005. What motivated you to become a CRS? I was always fascinated by the CRS Designation, so I decided to take a class to see what it was about. I fell in love with the education and wanted the designation. I had seen how the Council was helping me advance professionally by having greater knowledge about real estate procedures and customer relations.

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How is real estate changing? Technology is changing the industry in some ways and the media we use to promote properties. Customer engagement is taking different avenues as well. For instance, an app might be able to guess a home’s value based on statistical data, but it is not going to beat a set of eyeballs that understands the value of aesthetics. This is why people will be relying more and more on the expertise of their REALTOR®. This is a people business. As long as there are sellers who believe their home is worth more or buyers who are not quite sure how the process works, a REALTOR® will never be out of demand. The internet is great only if you know what you are looking for and what to ask. A REALTOR® knows the complexities of a transaction because of our education and experience. And we know how to communicate to our clients in their best interests. As one co-worker remarked, “When the ‘you-know-what’ hits the fan in a transaction, do you really want to be relying on an app?”

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What do you like about working in Port Angeles, Washington? Port Angeles is not a place most people know about. It’s a place they discover. We have over a million acres of national forest in our backyard and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in front of us. We have bears and bald eagles, whales and seals, blue herons and otters, more wildlife than most folks read about. It’s a small town with a quirky history. The people who come here bring their culture with them. What’s your life like outside real estate? My son works out of state for most of the year, so it’s generally me and the dogs, Star and Moose. When my days aren’t occupied by them, I am a board member of the local association and an active member of my Rotary Club. I am on a committee that is working with a service project in Togo, Africa, where more than 40 percent of the people—and almost every family in the village of Zogbedgi where we work— have to go to the bushes to use the bathroom. We build “Dignity Toilets,” concrete, self-composting toilets. Each one takes a family out of the bushes, improves the groundwater, helps improve sanitation and provides safety to the women and children.

Can you tell us more about that? I helped a friend in Zogbedgi, Taouvik, build the first one using plans from the Togolese government. He figured out the plans and I sold a house and sent him money to build it. After that, a neighbor asked what it would take for him to get one for his family. Then another and another. Soon, we had a list of over 12 families that wanted one. Tao modified the plans to make it more economical and we started building them much like Habitat for Humanity’s practice, where every family had to Do you have a real participate in some way to estate philosophy? have a sense of ownership. I realized years ago that I do When we had built eight and not sell houses, condos, land had it down in both procedure or commercial buildings. I and cost (a Dignity Toilet help people get to the next will last for generations and stage of their lives, and real costs about $400 to build), I estate happens to be one of approached my Rotary club the keys that will get them and they agreed to take on the there. My work involves project. In the last 10 months, helping people get there by they have built 19 more. being the best REALTOR® I recently went to the they can find. village and saw the project. It is sorely needed. I helped What do you like build one and figured out how about being a CRS? we could increase production The more you know and the and cut our labor costs by more connected you are to 46 percent. With the right other seasoned professionals, funding, we will be able to the better you can serve your build 12 to 16 a month. Now customers and the better they back in Washington state, will be for it. I strongly believe I am making presentations CRS is the top designation you to clubs and organizations can have because it shows seeking donations for the a continued commitment to Nor’Wester Rotary Foundaprofessionalism. I consider it tion to fund the project. a badge of honor. Doc Reiss, CRS, achieved his CRS Designation in 2016. He can be reached at docreiss.realtor@gmail.com or 360-461-0613.

➊

➍

➋

➎

➏

The construction of a “dignity toilet” is a multiday process: ➊ Workers mix cement on the ground and shovel it into molds to make concrete blocks. ➋ Once the blocks are dry, a pad is poured. On the same day, the floor sections and a concrete beam are poured and reinforced with rebar. ➌ Once the pad has dried, workers haul the blocks over and ➍ build the base of the two chambered squat toilet. The planks usually take a few days to dry. ➎ The bricklayers finish the base and the beam is set in place. Finally, the roof, the metal plates for each chamber and the door are installed. ➏ And another family is saved from going to the bushes. Center, Reiss celebrates the end of the job with some of the families he’s helped.

➌

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Are homeownershipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s returns still worth the investment?

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The home improvement projects that pay off at sale time

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Take a multifaceted approach to your marketing to reap the best results

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Return on investment (ROI) is used to assess an investment’s profitability. It can also be used to measure the value of the benefit that results from investing in many of the activities that CRSs frequently encounter. ROI is a metric that is flexible and therefore it can help identify the return from a wide variety of investments. Knowing which activities have the highest ROI can aid in selecting which projects or actions merit a greater investment of time and resources—the high-value activities that will yield the greatest return or benefit. Several practical applications of ROI are discussed in the following pages.

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Check out your fellow REALTORS®’ top picks for the apps that make their practices thrive

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Agents find homeownership still reigns while renting holds court By Mary Beth Klatt While it’s often been said the American Dream is to own a home, recent headlines offer mixed news. While the U.S. Census Bureau reports that homeownership is up from last year, increasing prices and a tight supply of listings sideline many Americans. It’s easy to begin to wonder whether Americans still see value in homeownership. Does the math still make sense? Most agents say it does. In many parts of the country, current homeowners are earning record-setting equity appreciation, according to CoreLogic. Rent increases are also breaking records, according to Yardi Matrix Monthly’s 2017 real estate market report. However, the benefits that agents normally share with their clients, such as tax deductions, are less appealing because of new limits imposed by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. These limits make it more challenging to sell clients on the advantages of homeownership over renting, especially in addition to the usual homeownership considerations, including property taxes, the costs of improvements, maintenance and monthly assessments for condos and townhouses.

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BY THE NUMBERS U.S. homeowners with mortgages have seen their equity increase by a total of

870.6 billion since 2016, an increase $

of 11.8 percent, year over year.

Source: CoreLogic Homeowner Equity Report

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Retirement liquidity

Historically, owning a home has been a practical long-term investment. When the cost of renting is compared to the equivalent dollars being used to purchase and maintain a home, Greg Roberts, CRS, managing broker RE/MAX Premier Group, Frisco, Texas, feels the homeowner receives more benefits. What’s more, homeowners are contributing to Americans’ favorite retirement “nest egg”—equity in a home has been the primary retirement liquidity for the typical retiree for generations, while tenants receive no such benefit, he notes. “Owners have autonomy over their residence versus renters,” Roberts says. “This translates into greater freedom and privacy. Want to change the exterior landscape? Tenants typically cannot. Considering a new pet? The type and number of pets is usually severely limited for tenants. Privacy? Tenants must allow the

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renters tell Nash-Frye that they don’t want to pay for maintenance or repairs that come with owning a property, “I surprise them by telling them that they’re already paying for those, too! Of course, landlords project those costs and add them into the monthly rent: on top of that, they add in a profit margin for themselves, too,” she says. “Finally, the cost of renting is rising faster than the cost of homeownership in our area—simply because it can,” she says. “There’s a lack of rental inventory in our area, so tenants are paying top dollar and not gaining equity, either.” landlord or property manager to make short notice inspections inside and outside the residence, while a homeowner is in charge of who can come into their home.” Cynthia Nash-Frye, CRS, broker with @properties in Libertyville, Illinois, says that the value of homeownership remains priceless. “That’s what I tell clients: When you rent, you’re paying the landlord’s mortgage, you’re just not reaping the tax benefits,” she says. When

7 APPS REALTORS® CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

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Pride of ownership

It is important for buyers to budget their cash flow, contends Marilyn Dopler, CRS, broker with RE/MAX Suburban, Arlington Heights, Illinois. It needs to include all income, expenses and emergency funds. “In my market, property taxes are one of the highest in the country. For condos and townhomes, association fees need to be included,” she says. “It is important to advise buyers that these costs can go up.”

BY GWEN Running a ®successful real estate business is no small feat. Always on the go, MORAN REALTORS may be traveling to and from showings, researching buyer inquiries,

prospecting, managing documents and email messages, and developing marketing plans for new listings. And that’s just before lunch. The good news is that in this “there’s an app for that” era, an increasing number of resources can help mobile REALTORS® manage the many details of their jobs—and provide return on investment ranging from significant time and money savings to greater productivity and increased sales. We asked REALTORS® which apps they can’t live without, and they responded with the “must haves” that deliver ROI and turn their smartphones into mobile offices. We’ve listed their favorites on the following pages …

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However, Charlotte Chang, CRS, Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties–Kahala, Honolulu, Hawaii, says fees are not always as bad as they might first appear. “I have noticed that with CPR Planned Unit Developments that are governed by an association, the maintenance fee is not as bad as you think,” Chang says. General group insurance policies by an association covers structural, hurricane and flood insurance. Insurance for a single-family property can run up to $2,500/per year individually versus about $200 for condo insurance for interior/contents on detached CPR Units. “Now that the housing recession is behind us,“ Nash-Frye says, “I hope that more first-time buyers are educated to the reality of investing

in their future. Homeownership promotes a sense of community, security and the intangible benefit-—pride of ownership!” Real estate is an investment and can fluctuate in value with the market. While reformed tax laws could impact the write-offs for today’s owners, Dopler says, “Our clients need us to be their trusted advisors. We also need the expertise of CPAs and other professionals to work on our team.” At the end of the day, Dopler says: “I believe it is still the American dream to own a home and have a special place for your memories. It is both a financial and emotional commitment that provides security.” Mary Beth Klatt is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area.

TIME TO PLAY 10 QUESTIONS: ARE YOU READY TO OWN? Good real estate agents will ask a series of questions to determine whether their clients are ready to buy. Here’s a round-up of 10 questions from Marilyn Dopler, CRS, you’ll want to ask prospective buyers:

➎ How long do you envision living in your first house? ➏ How far is a neighborhood from work or school? ➐ What do you need from the community in which you want to purchase? ➑ Are you aware of what it costs to maintain a home so that it retains its value? ➒ How about utilities? Are you prepared for a water bill to water a large yard? Heating bills during winter months? ➓ What are your expectations from me?

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➊ Have you been in front of a good lender? Do you know what loan programs you qualify for? ➋ Are you in the military? You can qualify for a VA loan. ➌ What’s your budget? What are you currently spending on rent? What would you be comfortable with for a monthly mortgage? (A first-time homebuyer should be spending between 25 and 32 percent of their net income on housing.) ➍ Do you have any savings or family support for a possible gift toward your down payment?

Canva

canva.com

pricing:

Ranges from a free version to $12.95 per month per user for up to 30 team members. Contact Canva for team pricing options.

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Ginger S. Nixon, CRS, a REALTOR® with Blue Ridge Properties in Kingsport, Tennessee, now designs most of her own marketing materials with the Canva app. She has created flyers, tip sheets, letterhead, social media graphics and a home anniversary card. “It took me two to three times to really get the hang of it,” she says. For someone who’s not tech-savvy, it may take a little longer. She uses the app both on her phone and desktop—functionality is a little better on the desktop, she says—but she’s happy with the results, which have saved her business hundreds of dollars. She estimates she has saved from $25 to $150 per piece she designs herself, depending on the complexity, and the app even lets her generate designs she can send directly to the printer.

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and Local Tax (SALT) deduction included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is projected to impact homeowners in hightax states in particular, but few homeowners would escape its effects altogether. Here’s how the new law could affect homeowners in four scenarios:

Family of four Barrington, Illinois

$ Income 250,000 $ State Income Tax 8,750 $ Property Tax 15,000 Salt Deduction $23,750 Additional Tax $6,650

Single homeowner Eugene, Oregon

Income State Income Tax Property Tax Salt Deduction Additional Tax

75,000 $ 6,344 $ 4,000 $ 10,344 $ 1,552

Family of three Conroe, Texas

Income Sales Tax Property Tax Salt Deduction Additional Tax

100,000 $ 3,300 $ 6,500 $ 9,800 $ 2,450

Couple Chaska, Minnesota

Income State Income Tax Property Tax Salt Deduction Additional Tax

150,000 $ 10,000 $ 4,750 $ 14,750 $ 4,130

is homeownership out of reach? The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) projects slower growth in home prices of 1 to 3 percent in 2018 as low inventories continue to spur price gains following the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act last year. Some local markets, particularly in high-cost, higher-tax areas will likely see price declines with the restrictions on mortgage interest and state and local taxes. “The new tax regime will fundamentally alter the benefits of homeownership by nullifying incentives for individuals and families while keeping those incentives in place for large institutional investors,” NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall said in a Dec. 15 statement. “That should concern any middle-class family looking to claim their piece of the American Dream.“ Here’s what’s changing. The new law:

ÄÄ Reduces the limit on deductible mortgage debt to $750,000 for new loans taken out after December 14, 2017. Current loans of up to $1 million are grandfathered and are not subject to the new $750,000 cap. ÄÄ Limits the deductibility of property taxes and state and local income taxes to a combined $10,000. ÄÄ Terminates the ability for homeowners to take a mortgage interest deduction on a second home. ÄÄ Provides a standard deduction of $12,000 for single individuals and $24,000 for joint returns. NAR believes the law will put homeownership out of reach for more Americans when homeownership is already at a 50-year low, Mendenhall wrote in a letter addressed to the U.S. House of Representatives last year.

SentriLock pricing:

sentrilock.com

Varies by brokerage.

Charlotte Chang, CRS, a sales agent with Michael Moran & Associates in Honolulu, Hawaii, finds SentriLock to be a valuable tool for her business, helping her monitor listing traffic. Although the system can allow other REALTORS® to simply use the SentriSmart app on their smartphones to gain access to properties secured with a SentriLock lock box, Chang requires a second code, the “call before showing (CBS)” code, for her own peace of mind. “Agents have to call before showing my listing to identify themselves and verify which real estate agency they are with. I know who’s going in and will provide the CBS code at

that time,” she says. Then the app reports back when they go into the property and when they leave. If they don’t leave within 90 minutes, I get a notification on my phone,” she says. Without the app, she says she would often have to drive up to 60 miles to personally monitor property visitors and ensure the home is locked up afterward, so the app helps her save several hours per month just in travel time, while helping her better secure clients’ properties. SentriLock contracts with REALTOR® organizations, so check with your brokerage or with your local National Association of REALTORS® chapter.

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Source: The Impact of Eliminating the State and Local Tax Deduction, the Government Finance Officers Association

CUTTING BACK ON SALT The loss of the State

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Today’s homebuyers are less attracted to cosmetic aesthetics and more to a home’s bones, mechanicals and structural improvements By Donna Shryer

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Homebuyers—regardless of generation— want a move-in-ready home. That may sound like an old song, but looking forward there’s a new verse. Move-in-ready is less about trending pop and sizzle in the kitchen and bathroom and more about what’s going on behind, under and over those cupboards and fixtures. According to a recent consumer survey by homebuilder Taylor Morrison, 62 percent of homebuyers most want energy efficiency and 56 percent seek easy maintenance. Are homebuyers willing to pay for what they want? In most cases, yes, says Craig Webb, editor of Remodeling magazine and its annual Cost vs. Value Report. The 2018 Report, not yet released, cites at least a 10 percent drop in return on investment (ROI) for upscale remodeling projects. “The highest resale payback is in projects that involve replacing what’s broken, inefficient or outdated,” he says. Here are several key areas where you can guide sellers through home décor and design trends, attract homebuyers and profitably close more sales.

Get FIXated

“Between Pinterest and HGTV, many sellers get caught up in visually preparing their home for sale,” says Lilli Schipper, CRS, REALTOR®, with Fort Lauderdale-based Island and Resort Realty. “Yet they forget about outdated mechanical and structural issues, which could come up during an inspection and end up killing the deal. Pre-listing inspections can sometimes provide more value than staging.”

Mechanical and structural improvements may not be the sexiest home trend, but it’s hot—and getting hotter. “In 2017, the payback for these kinds of projects averaged 74 percent. In 2018, it’s up to 76 percent,” Webb says. Driving home this point, the 2017 Remodeling Impact Report, a joint study from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), gives a new roof a 109 percent ROI. The 2017 Cost vs. Value Report gives top honors to what’s going on under that roof, with a 107.7 percent payback for fiberglass attic insulation. Debra Pitell-Hauge, CRS, broker-REALTOR® with Michael Saunders & Company, headquartered in Longboat Key, Florida, says it’s about fixing functional obsolescence. That can mean an energy efficient HVAC system, new windows and doors, or the ability to withstand almost anything that Mother Nature dishes out. “Here on Florida’s west coast, buyers want hurricane-impact glass. I’ve seen people buy their second-choice home because it’s hurricane proof.”

Curb your enthusiasm

“Curb appeal is more important than ever,” Pitell-Hauge says. “It’s partly because most people start their search online. So first they see the front of the house and then they move on to interior photographs.” While every REALTOR® knows the importance of curb appeal, Webb emphasizes that exterior project ROIs have been outpacing interior projects for a while now—and are not expected to slow down any time soon. These exterior improvements include landscaping and fresh paint as well as new doors, windows, siding and roof.

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BY THE NUMBERS Based on 2017 data, here are the top-10 home improvements in terms of ROI, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2018 Cost vs. Value Report: ➊ Garage Door Replacement

98.3%

➋ Manufactured Stone Veneer

97.1 %

➌ Deck Addition (wood)

82.8 % ➍ Minor Kitchen Remodel

81.1 % ➎S iding Replacement

76.7 %

➏ Window Replacement (vinyl)

74.3%

➐ Universal Design Bathroom

70.6 %

➑B athroom Remodel

70.1 %

➒ Window Replacement (wood)

69.5 %

➓ Roofing Replacement

68.4 % crs.com

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For years, many homebuyers wanted an open floor plan, with a seamless flow from kitchen to dining room to family room. Homebuyers still want an open floor plan—but now they also want flexibility. Or, as Taylor Morrison’s survey reports, 58 percent of today’s homebuyers want a floor plan that can be personalized. Visually “explaining” an open floor plan’s flexibility ramps up the importance of

Homebuyers value floor plans that can be customized in multiple configurations. A professional staging can help demonstrate the possibilities of an open floor plan to potential buyers.

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professional staging, says Linda Rike, CRS, broker-REALTOR®, with Linda Rike Real Estate and serving Crystal Coast–Carteret County, North Carolina. “A personalized floor plan implies creating living spaces where you want them to be. For example, in my market, the open formal dining room is making a comeback, so I might take an open space and stage a breakfast nook and a formal dining area— rather than one space for all meals.” Or you may want to stage an open space with less family room and more home office space. Depending on your market, you might stage a smaller dining area and introduce room for a mixologist’s dream bar cart. It’s a visual solution for the increasing number of homebuyers who want to share the trending “cocktail experience” with friends. Generally, stagers charge $300 to $600 for a consultation. Regardless of staging price, the payback can be substantial. According to the 2017 Profile of Home Staging report by the National Association of REALTORS®, 77 percent of buyers’ agents say staging a home makes it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home and about one-third of buyer’s agents feel that staging increases the dollar value offered from 1 to 5 percent when compared to similar unstaged homes on the market.

mileiq.com

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cost: Tiered, ranging from free to $5.99 per month. Contact for team pricing.

Marta Paulson, CRS, also uses Mile IQ to track her business mileage and expenses, which she uses along with the expense tracking features of her CRM. Before using Mile IQ, she would stuff receipts in an envelope in her vehicle’s door panel. “My CPA wanted me to keep a journal, which was nearly impossible for me because I’m too busy and it was a nuisance. This is simple and works for me,” she says. She estimates that she captures 30 percent more of her mileage, tolls and parking expense deductions than her paper-based system.

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R-UPPER XE FI

Houzz predicts that 2018 home design and décor will go to bold, warm colors—like ruby red, grays with a hint of brown, and rich, earthy shades of camel, rust, tobacco and burnt yellow. Vibrant Oceanside SW 6496 is floral patterns are expected to Sherwinbloom from ceiling to floor. Not Williams’ a warm color fan? Sherwincolor of 2018. Williams named Oceanside SW 6496 as its 2018 Color of the Year, describing the cool, deep tone as a rich blue that collides with jewel-toned green. These colors are fabulous, but potential ROI disasters if permanently applied to walls, floors, fixtures or cabinets while preparing a house for sale, says Kathy Novak, CRS, REALTOR®, with Howard Hanna Real Estate serving Northeast Ohio. “Use color trends for furniture, bathroom towels and shower curtains, and kitchen knickknacks, but not for anything that’s permanent.” Specifically addressing walls, anything bolder than warm gray, warm beige, or better yet, a combo called warm greige, can immediately shut a buyer down, Rike adds. “The first thing that pops in their mind is: ‘I’ll have to spend a fortune to repaint the whole house.’ With that, they move on to the next property.”

ENDU THE RIN

A warm welcome

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Every REALTOR® has sellers who insist they’d rather price their house to sell as is. In theory, it’s an approach that should work—but it doesn’t, says Leigh York, CRS, REALTOR® in Fort Worth, Texas, with CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company. “Whatever the cost to update, repair or fix, the homebuyer typically doubles that price when it’s time to negotiate. Now combine that with the fact that buyers often think in increments of $1,000. So if it costs $800 to have those floors cleaned, the buyer says it will cost $2,000, and that’s what they deduct from their bid. Giving buyers an option to update themselves can cost sellers a lot of money.” Explain things in terms of dollars and you have an argument that persuades almost every seller to properly prepare their home for sale, York adds.

Realty Juggler cost: $99

realtyjuggler.com

per year. Three-month free trial.

Realty Juggler is a full-service customer relationship management (CRM) system designed for REALTORS®. Used on your desktop or smartphone, this cloud-based system has a wide range of features that can help you manage contacts, build call lists, send drip campaigns, and calculate and track commissions, to name just a few of the features. Marta Paulson, CRS, associate broker at A.V. West Real Estate in Boise, Idaho, says the ease of use is helping her

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streamline everything from her marketing to expense management. Plus, the $99 per year fee is less than half the $250 annual cost of the platform she previously used. “I was looking for ways to improve my business overall, and having all of my records in one place was a perfect place for me to start,” she says. “It’s making my accountant very happy.” Now, instead of spending two to three days just trying to organize receipts, she’s got everything ready to go with a few clicks.

The Residential Real Estate Council

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Mar Apr

Counter intelligence

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A midrange minor kitchen remodel holds its value (81.1%) better than more elaborate projects, and might include new cabinet panels and drawer fronts, new energyefficient appliances, replacement flooring and repainted trim.

Yesteryear’s stark, all-white kitchens are warming up with vibrant pops of color, dark wood floors, dramatic statement tile work, black appliances and countertops created from a myriad of materials. However, Schipper says, these are pricey, upscale trends meant for personal enjoyment—but not investment. “If you put $80,000 into a new kitchen, do it for yourself and enjoy! Just don’t expect to get it back on resale value.” The 2017 Cost vs. Value Report and the 2017 Remodeling Impact Report agree, both giving a major, upscale kitchen remodel a slim ROI of only 62 percent. The general consensus is to keep kitchen updates down to a new granite countertop and perhaps a new sink. As Pitell-Hauge explains, “In high-priced markets, I believe buyers will tear the kitchen out and put in what they want, regardless of what you’ve done. In midpriced markets, buyers won’t likely be able to afford the additional cost to cover a major kitchen remodel.”

OVE ❦ APP EL

LOVE ❦ A WE EL S W OVE ❦ PP

Refinishing existing hardwood floors can be a better investment than installing new flooring.

Floor it

Hardwood flooring continues to attract homebuyers. Popular alternatives range from distressed or reclaimed wood for a rustic look to sophisticated dark hardwoods stained sleek black to traditional oak, which remains a perennial fan favorite. However, with more trends than ever, it’s tough to know which look will grab a homebuyer’s second glance. For that reason, it’s often better to professionally clean existing carpet or refinish existing hardwood floors. The 2017 Remodeling Impact Report gives refinishing a solid thumbs up, citing a 100 percent ROI. The projects attracting homebuyers aren’t necessarily inexpensive, but they typically cost less than a luxury kitchen remodel or bathroom addition, Webb says. That means sellers need to invest less to prepare a home for sale and will likely recoup more—if not all—of their investment. As for sellers who think they need to present an upscale trend-worthy home, well, that only happens on HGTV. Donna Shryer is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

HomeSnap Pro homesnap.com/pro

APPS W

cost:

Free where available

HomeSnap Pro partners with various regional REALTOR® associations and offers its powerful app free to members. With the app, you can access Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listings on your phone. “[Clients] can look at listings as they drive by. It uses a GPS system and shows them whether a property is active or not,” says Marta Paulson, CRS. The app allows you to track listings, generate instant comparative market analyses, coordinate showing times and conduct market research right on your phone. The value here is better communication and reduced frustration, Paulson says. “It enhances my clients’ understanding of how the MLS works, so they are not randomly looking at everything with a sign in front of it thinking all those properties are available,” she says. The enhanced communication and more effective searches lead to happier clients, and more sales and referrals.

Mar Apr

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For the highest return, REALTORSÂŽ use a multifaceted marketing approach

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By Megan Craig

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part

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The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

Mar Apr

Taking advantage of technology

More than 95 percent of people looking to buy or sell a home rely on the internet as a main source of information, according to the National Association of REALTORS® 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Barry Jenkins, CRS, a broker at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Virginia Beach, Virginia, says he’s lucky to be “barely-a-millennial who’s been in the business for two decades,” so he knows how to harness the power of the internet. He does much of his marketing via popular social media websites. “What the internet has done for a guy like me is that it’s given me the opportunity to generate business at a super-high level,” he says. On average, Jenkins generates from 500 to 1,000 leads per month via the internet, with at least 3–5 percent turning into actual sales.

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It’s an obvious goal for every agent: Spend marketing dollars in a way that generates the most leads and, ultimately, the most closed deals. But because a REALTOR®’s marketing plan may include various small actions without obvious and direct financial benefits, calculating the return on investment (ROI) for marketing activities may not be straightforward. With so many available avenues for advertising themselves and their properties, agents need to be sure they’re spending their marketing dollars wisely.

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Dropbox

APPS W

cost: Free for up to 2GB of storage. Pricing for 1TB up to 8.25 per month to $16.58 per month, depending on features.

Debbie Reynolds, CRS, a REALTOR® with Century 21 Platinum Properties in Clarksville, Tennessee, carries all of her documents in her phone with Dropbox. The cloud-based file management app houses photographs, contracts, market research and any other document she saves to it. “I put every picture, every photo, every document and anything else that I need into it, and I have those files accessible at my fingertips so that I can push them to anyone who needs them,” she says. Reynolds upgraded to 1TB of storage and says it’s her go-to app that helps her keep productive on the road.

Mar Apr

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dropbox.com

Reynolds says that having her files close at hand and easily accessible wherever she is located can add greater efficiency to many tasks. “In terms of reduced drive time and the greater efficiency of getting it done right at that time, I save at least 20 to 25 hours a month. That gives me another 2-3 full workdays to make sales and work on listings,” Reynolds says. If there are areas in your business where you’re facing challenges, explore app options to help you solve them and provide valuable ROI for the time and money you invest.

In addition to paid ads, he uses Thomas Nelson, CRS, center, with his guests social media to network with at his most recent friends, former classmates and the “gratitude gathering,” community. That means when the celebrating his clients time comes for them to buy or sell from the past year. The a home, he’s first in mind. event includes a raffle and all clients receive “In terms of return, Facebook a Thanksgiving pie is huge,” says Dallison Veach, as a parting gift. CRS, associate broker at RE/MAX Executives–Veach Realty Group in Springfield, Virginia. “I can target my audience for each ad to exact demographics. And the crazy thing is that it’s relatively inexpensive to do it.” And social media is only part of the technology puzzle. Agents using viral video marketing have also seen a significant ROI from using those videos to stay engaged with clients in a hands-off way. Rita Driver, CRS, president and principal broker at All Stars Realty in Bartlett, Tennessee, sends videos bi-weekly or monthly to clients— not asking for referrals or business, but giving useful information for homeowners’ everyday lives. Her business website, which is displayed at the end of each video, is up-to-date and offers an easy way to connect her to potential buyers thanks to a real estate-specific content management system. In fact, so many people reach Driver through her website that its steep cost—she spends $35,000 a year on the BoomTown platform— is “absolutely worth it.”

PARTY TIME

Although the internet has been a game-changer for many REALTORS®, it can’t replace arguably the most important aspect of marketing: actual face-to-face interaction. In between Facebook postings, consider throwing a party (or several small parties) for your clients. Everyone loves a party, whether there’s a reason to celebrate or not. Holding such an event allows your best clients to network with each other while reminding them that you’re a great person to know in the community. Rita Driver, CRS, president and principal broker at All Stars Realty in Bartlett, Tennessee, estimates about 40 percent of her business comes from client referrals. She uses a system of “ambassadors”—very satisfied past clients who talk her up at every opportunity—to drive her business, and she keeps them engaged and happy with regular gatherings of like-minded individuals. Thomas Nelson, CRS, an agent with Big Block Realty in San Diego, California, also holds a “gratitude gathering” each year. Although he advocates for a multifaceted, well-rounded marketing strategy, Nelson says these parties are the one piece he can isolate as having a direct return on investment. Last year’s appreciation party of 55 people yielded seven referrals and four closings in 2017 for a total cost of about $1,500. “It works because it’s a social gathering, not a work event. Here’s a peek behind the curtain of who I am as a human being. I’m not just this commodity,” he says. “It helps because it allows people to see you in a different light.”

LandGlide cost: $9.99

reportallusa.com/solutions/landglide

per month or $99 per year. One-week free trial.

LandGlide is a GPS-based app that lets you view and search more than 145.2 million land parcels covering more than 97.1 percent of the U.S. Tracy Kirkley, CRS, broker and vice president at Crye-Lieke Real Estate Services in Olive Branch, Mississippi, says it’s her go-to app these days. “It pulls up property lines based upon the tax records. I can be anywhere in the country and open the app and it will pull up a satellite view of where I am standing and show the property lines,” she says. The app can also identify the owners of the adjoining properties. In some areas, the amount of data is inconsistent—

tax records are available for properties in her home county, but not the next county over—but she says the property line data improves buyer experience, especially in rural areas. And while the app doesn’t necessarily deliver a time or money savings, she says it gives her an edge over other REALTORS®. Without its features, she would just need to forego showing property lines to clients, diminishing her customer service ability. “[LandGlide] makes me look very knowledgeable to my clients. I am able to give them info on the spot that most agents cannot,” she says. And that gives her a competitive advantage.

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The Residential Real Estate Council

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Mar Apr

Combining old and new strategies

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Despite the usefulness of social media and other technologies in spreading the word about yourself, using a single marketing strategy probably won’t get you the return on investment you need to be successful, says Thomas Nelson, CRS, an agent with Big Block Realty in San Diego. Nelson uses a combination of new and traditional marketing strategies to keep his network active and interested. He sends monthly mailers, video emails, hosts a podcast, pops by the homes of past clients, throws client appreciation parties and is active in his community, in addition to mailing hand-written notes to his network every year. Each part of his marketing plan is equally important, he says.

“This is like the recipe for baking a cake. You can’t remove an ingredient—you have to put it in the oven to bake, and you can’t take it out early, or it won’t work,” he says. “It’s a sequence, and if I don’t do the next step in the sequence, it doesn’t have the same return on investment in total as it does if I follow the plan.”

“ This is like the recipe for baking a cake. You have to put it in the oven to bake, and you can t take it out early, or it won t work.” —Thomas Nelson, CRS

BY THE NUMBER S

39%

33 %

Recent home sellers who used a referral or the same real estate agent they had worked with in the past.

Sellers who were referred to an agent by a friend, neighbor or relative.

Sellers who have recommended their agent three or more times since selling their home.

Recent sellers who said they would definitely recommend their agent for future services.

In addition to the apps they love, two REALTORS® shared other tech communication tools and techniques to communicate with clients more effectively. ÄÄ Video email. Geena Becker, a REALTOR® with William Raveis Real Estate in Avon, Connecticut, uses BombBomb (bombbomb.com) to respond to traditional email and voicemail with short videos. The engaging responses have increased customer response. “It also impresses current clients, or someone who has called me and left a voicemail from a sign call or a property they saw online,” she says. ÄÄ Talk to text. Use the talk-to-text function on your texting app to help you send your message without feeling like you’re all thumbs, says Debbie Reynolds, CRS, a REALTOR® with Century 21 Platinum Properties in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Record, send and comment with BombBomb’s simple video recorder.

S✜ P P

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YOND APPS BE

EYOND ✜B A

Source: the National Association of REALTORS® 2017 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Report

64%

✜

It’s common knowledge that client referrals are an excellent way to gain new listings and close deals. But exactly how effective are those interactions? The return on investment is unparalleled, according to recent data.

The Residential Specialist trsmag.com

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70 %

Until three years ago, Jenkins also did all of his marketing online, mostly because he was growing his team and needed to advertise his new business in the easiest and fastest way. Now, he does more in the community and uses SendOutCards to keep his most dedicated customers engaged. Still, his Facebook ads bring him much of his business. Driver spends about $10,000 a year sponsoring local sports teams, but her ROI from being a valued member of her community is well worth it: “That money comes back to me, and more,” she says. Veach, who used to market on Zillow but decided it wasn’t worth the price, says that in addition to social media networking and paid

42 % Recent buyers who were referred to an agent by a friend, neighbor or relative.

88 % Buyers who would use their agent again or recommend their agent to others.

ads on Facebook, she’s a “big believer in pretty, glossy postcards.” The postcards come with a high-tech twist: Veach partnered with Even the best REALTORS® sometimes need assistance, and a photographer to hiring good help could be the difference between a plan that create videos of each makes money and one that costs money. To make your marproperty, and the keting the best it can be, consider getting someone on board cards include links who can develop a solid marketing plan and help execute it. to the tour videos. Options include: That way, she can ÄÄ Hiring a marketing-savvy in-house assistant accurately track how ÄÄ Paying a virtual assistant company that provides online often people are using marketing experts the postcard link to ÄÄ Finding hidden talent within your existing employee pool view her properties— ÄÄ Attending training sessions or classes to become your own and it’s often enough marketing expert that she finds the postcards to have a tangible ROI for her. Meet Your “I think marketing online is great, but Designation Maintenance not everybody is going to look at your Requirement online advertising,” she says. “That’s why today! Read doing it in combination with things like this article and “First Steps” postcards and being in the community on p. 12, take face-to-face is so important. I think if you a 10-question quiz and earn lose that personal touch, that’s when your 2 credits. Go business dries up.” to CRS.com/

hired hands

trs-quiz to get started.

Megan Craig is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

Document signing apps can be another invaluable tool for REALTORS®, says Debbie Reynolds, CRS, a REALTOR® with Century 21 Platinum Properties in Clarksville, Tennessee. She uses Instanet, which is her local REALTOR® association’s form system, through which her contracts and forms are offered as part of her membership. “It makes a very streamlined process of being able to just click on the listing, and when you’re ready to write the offer, go to the Instanet form through our TransactionDesk, which allows you to instantly use the signing application, Authentisign,” she says. Other signing applications that are also good are DocuSign (docusign.com) or DotLoop (dotloop.com), which are available to anyone, she says. Gwen Moran is a freelance writer based in Wall Township, New Jersey.

Authentisign includes security technology to prevent modification of signed documents. Dotloop provides form creation, e-sign and transaction management.

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The Residential Real Estate Council

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Mar Apr

resources for learning & leisure

GOOD READS

READY, SET…

disrupt!

How we understand our “internal value chain”—the way we view our personal strengths—is the key to external success By Allan Fallow



Technology innovator Jay Samit says he has launched new businesses in “billion-dollar industries” as varied as music, ecommerce and telecommunications. He claims to have raised more than $800 million for startup companies. And in one year alone, he purportedly “took stakes in more than 20 companies around DISRUPT YOU! the world (without Master Personal investing a dime) Transformation, Seize and generated over Opportunity, and Thrive $100 million profit.” in the Era of Endless Why successful Innovation businesspeople feel by Jay Samit compelled to indulge Flatiron Books in that degree of 291 pages, $27.99 self-aggrandizing is a question I leave to others. But there’s no doubt that Samit has come up with a fascinating filter through which to assess how he arrived where he is today: Without the soul-searching process

Mar Apr

The Residential Specialist trsmag.com

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of “self-disruption” that he underby behemoth GTECH, and Samit took in the wake of a bitter early returned to the L.A. airport in business failure, Samit reports, he defeat. But the experience triggered might never have become the CEO intense self-examination, says of video company SeaChange Inter- Samit, that led him to recast his national, a White House adviser and business philosophy—and, crua professor of entrepreneurship at cially, to repurpose that seemingly USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering. doomed kiosk as LAX’s sole proIt was 1984, and recent UCLA grad vider of information services. “The Samit had persuaded himself that kiosk that disrupted the human his interactive laserdisc kiosk was ticketing agent,” he concludes, “was going to revolutionize the way the once a failed lottery machine.” state of California sold lottery tickets You can read all about the to finance its public schools. Going author’s long night of introspection up against rival firm GTECH for the in the book’s introduction: Watch multimillion-dollar contract, Samit Samit deconstruct “his personal recalls, “I was sure my time had value chain!” Thrill as he analyzes come. I was the young Turk disrupt- “all the pieces that came together ing the lottery industry! I was to the to form my identity!” But most lottery what Henry Ford’s Model T readers will hunger for more useful was to horse-buggy makers!” tips—which, thankfully, they will find throughout these pages: Ticket to success 1. Shun the incremental approach If you’re a fan of strengthto problem-solving. Instead, train through-adversity business books yourself to visualize the overall like Samit’s Disrupt You!, you solution, then work backward to know where this tale is headed: determine how to reach it. The author’s startup multimedia 2. Identify a few role models in company was beaten to the punch your industry and research

how they got the resources they toilets, and trash”—an entrepreneur needed to succeed. named Jeff Hoffer and his partner 3. Mentors can be critical to a dislaunched RealtyMogul. According ruptor’s success. But don’t go all to Samit—biased by his stint as Mister Rogers on the luminary executive chairman of the enteryou aspire to emulate: Rather prise—RealtyMogul “benefits both than emailing, “Will you be my sides of real estate transactions by mentor?” cast your approach as, reducing transactional friction and “I was thinking about starting a creating market transparency.” company that does X and wanted Whether you embrace this to know your thoughts.” (Oh, new approach or not, it’s hard to and consider snail-mailing your contest the author’s claim that “real appeal: “Even in the 21st century,” estate has been bought, sold, and writes Samit, “nothing is as financed in the same manner for powerful or personal as sending hundreds of years.” But not for a handwritten thank you note.”) long, apparently: “Fundrise, Patch 4. To find a hero, get out of town. of Land, RealtyShares, Fquare, You can start the process of Globerex, and others have each discovering your next role model combined crowdfunding and simply by attending more gathercrowdsourcing targeted at various ings in your field. “Use LinkedIn aspects of the real estate market.” and other online tools to reach out to people you admire,” he Quick print advises. Locating the right mentor Looming over the residential can bring both “personal validareal estate market, meanwhile, tion and professional growth.” is an unlikely disruptor with 5. Every career gets disrupted, no the potential to turn the entire matter the cause: ambition or home-construction industry on its circumstance, technological head. In 2014, Professor Behrokh change or shifting market forces. Khoshnevis of USC assembled a When it happens, relaunch your- large-scale 3-D printer “capable of self as “a brand of one.” If you building a 2,500-square-foot house get an opportunity to speak at a in a single day:” conference, grab it. If the chance His technology, known as doesn’t present itself, ask for it: Contour Crafting, replaces “Public speaking,” writes Samit, construction workers with a “is undoubtedly the most effeccomputer-enabled robotic gantry tive way to cold-call hundreds and a concrete-squirting nozzle. By of people at the same time.” removing most of the labor costs And all this affects me how? associated with home building, the Among the many industries that professor envisions a world where will be transformed by Samit’s “era inexpensive 3-D-printed homes can of endless innovation,” commerbe used to improve the unsanitary cial real estate represents “a huge living conditions of the nearly market ripe for disruption.” Perceiv- 1 billion people living in slums. ing a veritable reservoir of pent-up How out of this world is the market demand—the millions of 3-D-printed home? NASA is studyAmerican investors who long to ing the use of Contour Crafting to diversify their investment portfolios build structures in two untapped by “buying into apartments, homes, markets: Mars and the moon. or pieces of shopping centers and office buildings but don’t want Allan Fallow is a writer and editor in Alexandria, the hassle of dealing with tenants, Virgina. Contact him on Twitter @thefallow.

YO U M I G H T A L S O L I K E …

ONE SMALL YES by Misty Lown [Morgan James Publishing] 136 pages $ 13.53/paperback For those who want to go after their dreams, your journey starts with one small yes decision at a time. THANK YOU FOR BEING LATE by Thomas L. Friedman [Picador] 560 pages $ 9.72/paperback In its second version, the bestseller explains how to slow down and overcome the stresses of the world’s largest accelerators. PRINCIPLES: LIFE AND WORK by Ray Dalio [Simon & Schuster] 592 pages $ 11.47/hardcover The Bridgewater Associates founder shares the principles of success that anyone can adopt, no matter what they want to achieve. PRESENCE by Amy Cuddy [Columbia Business School Publishing] 344 pages $ 13.59/paperback Harvard professor Amy Cuddy reveals “presence” is achieved through small changes rather than a spiritual quest.

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The Residential Real Estate Council

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Mar Apr

LEISURE PURSUIT

DISCOVERING NEW

resources for learning & leisure

hobbies friends AND

Being an adult is hard, with work stressing you out and free time limited to those few waking hours when you’re not taking care of family or clearing chores from your ever-growing to-do list. Relieve some of that stress and reenergize your social life with one of these new hobbies (plus, you may meet some new clients in the process).

Plant a garden

Tip: If your track record with plants isn’t great, start with succulents, which are harder to kill than their flowerier counterparts.

Start small: Making a simple knit-and-purl scarf for yourself will allow you to make mistakes without having to worry as much about the perfection of the final product.

Sure, you don’t have the time to read a new book every week. But what about reading a new book every month or two, then discussing it at length with a group of fellow book lovers? That group could consist of your dearest friends, co-workers or acquaintances. Or, you could meet in a public place with a bunch of strangers by arranging the group through a site like Meetup.com.

Join a dodgeball team

Less physical: Is dodgeball a little too athletic for your taste? Try a bowling league for alternative indoor fun.

Create a blog

Writing online can be therapeutic, especially if the stakes are low. Take an interesting topic—a specific kind of art you admire, for example—and wax poetic. Although you might

Learn to knit

Both trendy and useful, knitting is a great way to keep your hands busy and your mind engaged without requiring you to leave your house. If you prefer to knit with friends, many yarn stores offer group knitting nights. With many videos on YouTube and free knitting patterns online, you won’t have to invest a lot of money in expensive lessons (but they would be useful if you want to get involved in more difficult projects).

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat— everyone’s elementary school gym memories include dodgeball. Thanks to various leagues around the country, adults now can get in on the duck-and-dive action. Team sports encourage relationship development, and dodgeball adds the perfect amount of nostalgia, allowing you to get some exercise while reminiscing with new friends. Plus, the indoor court means bad weather won’t ruin your night out.

Mar Apr

Gardens aren’t just for people with big backyards anymore (although, if you have a big backyard, that’s helpful). Try out your green thumb with a few hearty balcony plants, a terrarium in your living room or a full-on fenced-off square of space outside. Not only might planting a garden encourage healthier eating (think carrots, peas, tomatoes and zucchini fresh from the ground), but gardening also has been shown to promote good mental health.

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Start a book club

Good intentions: Even if it devolves into a drinking-andgossip club, at least your intentions were pure and you’re taking some time for yourself.

not develop an audience for a while (or ever, in some cases), throwing thoughts into the internet void will improve your writing skills and allow you to converse through comment sections with whoever is interested in what you have

to say. Eventually, you may be able to transfer the knowledge you gained while hobby-blogging to a blog for work. Warning: Properly maintaining a blog can be a lot of work, so you’ll want to have some time to devote to this hobby.

inside

RRC news from the council

CRSs gather for a laugh and a picture in front of the step-and-repeat backdrop at Sell-a-bration® 2018 in Dallas.

everything was bigger

IN TEXAS Ø

Sell-a-bration® 2018 in Dallas was a riveting, energizing and engaging event that left members buzzing (just see the next page). The keynote speakers kept attendees on their toes: Platon gave them a lot to think about while Mel Robbins gave them a lot to do (in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …). As the opening keynote, Robbins told the crowd they already know what they need to do to grow their business and make their lives better, they just need to get over the fears that stop them. She offered her simple method—counting backwards from five—and then simply taking action: Don’t overthink it. On day two, Platon offered an inside glimpse into power through his arresting images of world leaders, as well as insight into the connective thread that unites the powerless with the powerful. General sessions brought Chris Bird, CFP, and Leigh Brown, CRS, to the stage. Bird filled REALTORS® in on what they

Another Sell-a-bration® is in the books. need to know about the new tax rules through his informative—but funny—session, while Brown brought up three new faces, CRSs Paula Brahan, Alissa Spears and Dawn Stevens, to share their success stories and offer nuggets of wisdom. Breakout sessions covered a myriad of topics ranging from video marketing to team building, the power of online reviews, building your sphere of influence and finding additional revenue streams. Attendees also got a chance to connect during the game night party on Sunday, the welcome reception on Monday and The Council is the free continental breakfast both taking Sell-adays. Nearly 50 exhibitors joined bration® 2019 to Las Vegas, the conference and eight sponsors on Feb. 1 and 2. hosted power talks on topics that Sign up today at CRS.com/ attendees could explore to grow SAB2019. their businesses.

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Mar Apr

inside

RRC news from the council

“Fabulous experience as a first-timer at Sell-a-bration®—everyone was so outgoing and friendly. Thank you all for caring to share.” —Kelly Catallo, COSMOPOLITAN Real Estate Inc, Medford, Massachusetts

Mel Robbins, Sell-a-bration® keynote, described her 5 second rule—If you feel yourself hesitate, count backward from five, then act.

“Heading home with new ideas and new friendships to keep improving our business!” —Julie Erickson, CRS, RE/MAX Dynamic Properties, Anchorage, Alaska

“I came with a friend and I made many, many more new friends while there! I signed up for next year’s conference at the first opportunity. I am reeling with new ideas and plans, and can’t wait until next year!” —Janet Lauritsen, Elite Texas Properties, Cypress, Texas

“We have lots of notes, a mind full of ideas and inspiration to last the rest of the year! What an amazing few days!” —Marianne McNally, CRS, Willamette Valley Brokers, Salem, Oregon

Mar Apr

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CRSs OF THE YEAR Anita Bates, CRS Alaska Sharita Whitehead, CRS Alabama Fred LaBell, CRS Arizona David Anderson, CRS Colorado Vicki Roller, CRS The Dakotas Geri Kenyon, CRS Florida Lisa Scully, CRS Georgia Shannon Heaven, CRS Hawaii Donna Arnold, CRS Iowa

Tim Burroughs, CRS Idaho Chris Read, CRS Illinois Nancy Suter, CRS Kansas Margie Bryant, CRS Maryland/DC Cindy Hope, CRS North Carolina Mark Schoenthaler, CRS Northeast Region Rich Bradford, CRS New Jersey/Delaware Frances Boggess, CRS New Mexico

Christina Cova Simmons, CRS Nevada Joya Machabee, CRS Nevada Cindy Rodgers, CRS Oklahoma Deana Doney, CRS Oregon Deb Dawson, CRS Tennessee Terry Simmons, CRS Utah Kim Atkinson, CRS Virginia Stephanie Callen, CRS Washington Belle Luhman, CRS Wisconsin

Audio recordings of every session are available for free to all registrants. You can find them in your My Education tab in your Dashboard at CRS.com. Non-registrants can also purchase the recordings through the education catalog at CRS.com. Quarter Page Ad 717.pdf

“Sell-a-bration® 2018 was a grand slam! So glad my mother showed me the importance of earning the CRS Designation! I proudly wore her CRS pin from years ago along with my new CRS pin!” —Pam Ruggeroli, CRS, Long Realty Company, Tucson, Arizona

CMY

7/19/17

7:47 PM

learn

from the

BEST strategies from the industry’s top educators

THINK OUTSIDE

the luxury box Five steps to breaking into luxury real estate



Many real estate agents sit on the sidelines of the luxury real estate market thinking they had to have been either born rich or well-connected to succeed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Over more than four decades in the business, I’ve refined the process of becoming the trusted real estate advisor to luxury homebuyers and sellers in your market. Here are five steps to getting started.

1. Identify and map your market.

Decide on the geographic luxury market you want to break into and map it out using maps from your town or county assessor. Research a two-year sales history for each parcel. Create some benchmarks to derive a meaningful and supported “price per something.” Next, research the prevalent builders, architects and owners of note within this market. You want to build a foundation of expertise. RRC INSTRUCTOR

Jack Cotton, CRS, continues to work in the real estate company he started in his college dorm room in 1974 and sold to Sotheby’s International Realty. He sells luxury homes while sharing his extensive knowledge with agents as an author, teacher and certified coach. You can find him at JackCotton.com.

Mar Apr

2. SWET your USPs.

Everyone has heard of a SWOT analysis, but as you break into a new luxury market, you want to identify the dominant luxury players who you will be competing against. The S and W are strengths and weaknesses, E stands for “everything they do” and T stands for “turn things around.” I’ve talked with agents across the country about their luxury competitors and E’s that I often hear about are detached from their team, hire a stager, delegate showings and are not cooperative with other agents. If you take each one of these E’s and turn them around, you can create valuable unique selling propositions (USPs). Rather than being uncooperative, treat agents well who call to work with you. While competitors hire stagers, you become a market preparation expert. Aim to have three to five USPs.

3. Open the gates.

High-net-worth individuals have gatekeepers, including accountants, lawyers, investment

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advisors, etc. The common thread among them: their desire to look good in front of their clients. The No. 1 value you can bring to gatekeepers is a well-documented, thought-out and accurate competitive market analysis. Many wealthy homeowners keep properties in trusts or other entities, which typically require a yearly market analysis. Marketing this expertise to gatekeepers is how you bring value and get referrals to luxury clients.

4. Create your processes.

Wealthy owners of real estate have high expectations. To consistently meet and exceed those expectations, create processes for everything. Process is how you convey and reinforce value. Most critical is your pricing process. Even the wealthiest luxury real estate owners sell property only on occasion, so having a pricing process and effectively explaining it will differentiate you.

5. Overcome the big O.

The big O stands for the big objection that commonly comes when you answer the question, “How many million-dollar homes have you sold?” and your answer is “zero.” Answer the question honestly and follow with this: “It is my intention to make my mark in luxury real estate on the successful listing and sale of your property. In fact, the last thing I think about each night and the first thing I think about every morning is going to be the sale of your property. I’m so committed that I pledge to you that I’ll take no more listings over a million dollars until we have an accepted offer. Tell me, how does it feel to have somebody this driven, this dedicated, this committed to getting your property sold?” My experience has been that wealthy people, especially the self-made ones, will see a little bit of themselves in you when you use this approach. Once you land the client, there’s more to do, so download the recording 7 Steps to Break Into Luxury Real Estate at CRS.com.

RRC

connect

YOUR RRC

network

CANADA

expand your network

I had a fabulous experience with Sher Powers of Urbane Residential Specialists in Nashville, Tennessee. I referred buyers to her, and we closed and I got paid! Sher was fast and knowledgeable, using her many years of expertise to beat out numerous other contract offers that came in. It was an older house that required repairs, but all parties worked together for a win-win situation for the buyer and seller. In just a few months after I sent the referral, sellers were moving out and buyers were moving into their new lake house at Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee. I have visited and the owners are tickled at the speed at which CRS Designees can make it happen! CONNECTION PERFECTION

—Kimberly Wheatley, Blue Water Realty Group, Tallahassee, Florida

NORTHEAST

Serving Central Connecticut

MID-ATLANTIC

Your referral source

Top 3% Nationally

for the greater

Pittsburgh

Top Producing Realtor for Over 30 Years

area

Felix DuVerger ABR, CRS, GRI

I help clients make the Wright move

2790 Main Street Glastonbury CT 06033

Facebook “f ” Logo

860-652-4521 CMYK / .eps

@felixduvergerrealtor

@felixduverger_realtor

MID-ATLANTIC

NORTHERN BB oo oo kkVIRGINIA N N oo w w

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Fairfax • Alexandria • Manassas Woodbridge • Bristow • Stafford

Brad Choose Choosefrom from Kirkendall

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Choose from Choose Choosefrom from more than 11 more morethan than11 11 CRS and Ninja CRS CRSand andNinja Ninja classes! classes! classes!

more morethan than11 11 CRS CRSand andNinja Ninja 571.262.1900 Brad@NovaEliteRealty.com classes! classes! CRS, CNE

25+ years real estate expertise

www.NovaEliteRealty.com

Mike Mike Selvaggio Mike Selvaggio Selvaggio Treating your referrals -5559900 with integrity, ))558844-5 (30022knowledge Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com (3 and professionalism ellleeeaaa hhhiiilllee

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Choose Choose from from more more than than 11 11 CRS CRS and and Ninja Ninja classes! classes! Mike Mike MikeSelvaggio Selvaggio Selvaggio Selvaggio Mike Mike Selvaggio

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CCIM, CCIM, CCIM, CRS CRS CCIM, CCIM, CCIM,CRS CRS CRS CRS

MikeMyCoach.com -5 -5555599990000 MikeMyCoach.com MikeMyCoach.com -5 -5559900 MikeMyCoach.com MikeMyCoach.com -5 (3 (300002222))))555588884444-5 (30022))558844 Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com (3 Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com (3 (3 Mike@Selvaggio.com Mike@Selvaggio.com

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The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

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MID-ATLANTIC

CMYK / .eps

RE/MAX Realty Brokers 5608 Wilkins Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15217 OFS: 412-521-1000 x170 CELL: 412-508-0040 nancywright@remax.net

FF F

Facebook “f ” Logo

Nancy Wright, ABR, CRS, GRI

Mar Apr

RRC connect

RRC CLASSROOM COURSES expand your network

RRC classroom courses earn either eight credits (for one-day courses) or 16 credits (for two-day courses) toward the CRS Designation. At press time, the RRC courses listed below were scheduled for 2018. For more up-to-date listings, visit crs.com/education-catalog .

Buying & Selling Income Properties March 21–22—Portland, Oregon [Washington RRC & Oregon RRC]

Mastering Your Time to Achieve Your Goals March 22—Waco, Texas [Texas RRC]

Buying and Selling Income Properties March 28–29—Waterloo, Iowa [Iowa AOR]

866-556-5277

201-771-4803

800-532-1515

Business Planning & Marketing for the Residential Specialist March 22-23—Auburn, Massachusetts [Northeast Region RRC]

Building a Team to Grow Your Business March 23—Murrieta, California [Southwest Riverside County AOR]

7 Things Successful Agents Do Differently: A Proven Business System April 3—Washington, D.C. [Maryland/DC RRC]

Instructor: Dale Carlton, CRS

Instructor: Chandra Hall, CRS

Instructor: Dale Carlton

951-894-2571

Instructor: Kimberly Knapp, CRS

781-839-5506

443-614-3901

Instructor: James Nellis, CRS

Instructor: Frank Serio, CRS

SOUTH

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Luxury waterfront specialist serving Longboat Key & Sarasota, FL for 35 years

Dawn O’Neal 360-477-4733

941.356.0437

DebraPitell-Hauge@michaelsaunders.com SarasotaHomes4Sale.com

I would love to help YOU open the door to your new home! Call me for assistance in buying or selling real estate in Sequim, Port Townsend and Port Angeles. 3 decades of experience. My motto is Exceeding Expectations - ALWAYS! Dawn O'Neal | Washington Managing Broker License #26510

CRS, CIPS, GRI, ePRO®, SRES®, WCR®, PMN, ASP®, ALHS, CDPE®, SFR® Trained in Negotiations & Mediation from Pepperdine University School of Law

440 Gulf of Mexico Dr | Longboat Key, FL 34228 941.383.7591 | michaelsaunders.com

WEST

Selling Lake Tahoe Since 1989

BEN & CAROLE HEINRICH

“One of Lake T

Carole, CRS, CFP® Ben, CRS & CRB RSPS & SRES CRS NorCal chapter past president

www.TheHeinrichTeam.com 831.626.2434 Team@TheHeinrichTeam.com

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20 18

Over $800 million in Tahoe Sales

t. c o m

Local real estate experts in Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Monterey & Pacific Grove for over 30 years.

Mar Apr

tural Resources Na ”

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PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Text 408.221.0575 Also Licensed in California CalBRE #01101500 www.DawnOneal.com Dawn@DawnOneal.com

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Z a ger | l a k

et a

Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist April 4–5—San Antonio, Texas [San Antonio Board of REALTORS®] 210-593-1200, ext. 108

WEST

Instructor: Gee Dunsten, CRS

Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist April 4–5— Denver, Colorado [Denver Metro Association of REALTORS®] 303-756-0553

Instructor: Rich Sands, CRS

Zero to 60 Home Sales a Year (and Beyond) April 9—LaVista, Nebraska [Nebraska RRC] 402-323-6506

Instructor: Mark Porter

WEST

Reach more than

30,000

CRS peers with your ad here. Contact Joe Stella: jstella@glcdelivers.com or 847-205-3127

WEST

COLORADO SPRINGS Joe Clement CRB, CRS, ABR, QSC, CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist)

www.TheClementGroup.com joe.clement@wesellmore.net

719-499-5000

WEST

CALIFORNIA’S MONTEREY PENINSULA A trusted name on the Monterey Peninsula for nearly 50 years! Terry McGowan CRS, GRI, ABR, SRS, e-Pro, SRES Cal DRE# 01126129 Sotheby’s International Realty 831-236-7251 terry.mcgowan@sothebyshomes.com www.terrymcgowan.com

Joey Clement CRS, ABR, CDPE

www.HomesInSD.com joey@homesinsd.com

858-922-4546

SAN DIEGO

Specializing in helping You reach Your Real Estate goals since 1991!

PACIFIC

WEST COLORADO

PACIFIC

HAWAII

MAUI Real Estate

Joan M. Pratt

www.JoanneFoxxe.com

MS, CRS, CLHMS, CDPE, CARI

DenverMetroReferrals.com

720-506-3001 RE/MAX Professionals

“Elevate Your Expectations” « « « « « Voted Five Star Agent for Overall Satisfaction for 6 Straight Years!

...sharing Aloha through excellence and experience...

808-385-2918 jofoxxe@gmail.com

Nancy D. Metcalf, CRS REALTOR®, Vice President

Joanne Foxxe

Luxury Property Specialist RB-16599

Hawaii CRS of Year, 2003 Direct: (808) 223-9246 nmetcalf@cbpacific.com www.nancymetcalf.com

CRS, GRI, SRES e-pro

Celebrating 25 years assisting clients!

Maui CRS director

20 18

The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

Mar Apr

CRS

connect

CRS CLASSROOM COURSES

expand your network

Financing Solutions to Close the Deal April 9–10—Oklahoma City, Oklahoma [Oklahoma RRC] 918-704-5771

Instructor: Chris Bird, CFP

7 Things Successful Agents Do Differently: A Proven Business System April 11—San Angelo, Texas [Texas RRC]

Effective Buyer Sales Strategies April 17–18—Malvern, Pennsylvania [Pennsylvania RRC and Suburban West REALTORS® Association] 610-560-4800

Instructor: Gee Dunsten, CRS

PERSONALIZE, REPRODUCE AND MAIL THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR CLIENTS

EDIT

Leave YOUR HOME as is, or personalize the newsletter by adding your photo, logo, address and phone number to the mailing panel.* You can also substitute any article in the newsletter with one of your own. Edit the newsletter e lectronically by downloading the Microsoft Word version at crs.com/ yourhomenewsletter.

Instructor: Lee Barrett, CRS

Win-Win Negotiation Techniques April 19—Port Florida [Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte-North Port Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Kimberly Knapp, CRS

7 Things Successful Agents Do Differently: A Proven Business System April 11—Hilo, Hawaii [Hawaii Island REALTORS®]

Mastering Your Time to Achieve Your Goals April 19—Memphis, Tennessee [Tennessee RRC & Memphis Area Association of REALTORS®]

808-935-0827

901-818-2421

Instructor: Monica Neubauer, CRS

REPRODUCE

Mastering Relevant, Consumer-Focused Marketing April 12—Madison, Wisconsin [Wisconsin RRC & Wisconsin REALTORS® Association] Instructor: Kimberly Knapp, CRS

Mastering Relevant, Consumer-Focused Marketing April 20—Port Charlotte, Florida [Punta Gorda–Port Charlotte–North Port Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Kimberly Knapp, CRS

DISTRIBUTE

Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist April 12–13—Honolulu, Hawaii [Hawaii Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Frank Serio, CRS

Technologies to Advance Your Business April 26–27—Anchorage, Alaska [Alaska RRC]

Converting Leads into Closings April 13—Madison, Wisconsin [Wisconsin RRC & Wisconsin REALTORS® Association] Instructor: Kimberly Knapp, CRS

Mastering Your Time to Achieve Your Goals April 30—Murrieta, California [Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Monica Neubauer, CRS

210-771-4803

Instructor: Frank Serio, CRS

907-440-6392

Instructor: Monica Neubauer, CRS

Converting Leads into Closings April 16—Pinehurst, North Carolina [North Carolina RRC] Instructor: Lee Barrett, CRS

PLEASE NOTE: The images featured in the YOUR HOME newsletter may only be used within the PDF version of the newsletter. These images may not be reproduced or republished elsewhere outside of this newsletter format. RRC members are free to re-use the text of the articles contained in the newsletter, however. Do it yourself with your office copier, or take the newsletter or electronic file (in addition to your photograph and any information you want inserted) to a printer who can prepare and reproduce the newsletter for you.

MAIL. If you photocopy YOUR HOME or use it “as is,” please note that it is designed to be folded in a trifold with the mailing panel facing outward. Postal regulations require that trifolds have two closures (tabs or tape) on top. For your convenience, we have placed asterisks (*) where the closures should be. Be sure to check with your local mailer or post office to make sure you have prepared your mailings properly. ELECTRONIC FILE. Attach the customized newsletter file to an email to your clients or create a web link to the file on your website. Consult your webmaster or technician to make sure the file is prepared correctly for these purposes, since these basic instructions will vary by person and system. * This newsletter is for the exclusive use of RRC members.

Mar Apr

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your *

home M A R /A P R 2 018

Tips and tre nd s for homeow ners, buyers and sellers

THE 10-YEAR fix 

Once your home hits the 10-year mark, it’s probably time for some home maintenance. Here are nine updates your home will benefit from the most, according to Zillow.

ÄÄGet new carpet. Replace your carpet if rips, tears, stains and odors remain, even after a good cleaning.

ÄÄReplace the garbage disposal. The average garbage disposal lasts about 10 years because the blades become dull over time. ÄÄReplace the washer and dryer. The average lifespan of both appliances is eight years. Replace them before problems pop up.

ÄÄReplace the hot water tank. A water heater may not show signs before it leaks or fails, but if it’s been around for 10 years or more, it should be replaced.

ÄÄ Repaint inside and outside. There’s no rule about when to repaint—it depends on where you live, humidity and other factors. But if it’s been 10 years, it's time to repaint.

ÄÄUpdate ceiling fans. If the fan’s light bulbs seem to burn out more quickly than usual, it’s time for a new one.

ÄÄ Re-caulk the tub, shower and sinks. It’s a simple update that you can easily do yourself.

ÄÄBuy a new dishwasher. You’ll likely get a more energy-efficient model that’ll pay for itself over time.

ÄÄRe-glaze windows. Re-glazing old windows is easier and more cost-effective than replacing them.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY ON MOLD

Mold removal can be tricky—and expensive if it requires a specialist. HGTV offers some advice about the cost of mold remediation for your home, and what steps to take.

The good news: If the area of infestation is small, you can typically take care of it yourself. A small investment in cleaning supplies is all it will cost. First, clean up the water and eliminate the source of excess moisture. It’s important to remove mold with a biocide and disinfectant, rather than with bleach. Be sure to open windows and wear gloves, eye protection and a facemask. Then allow the affected area to dry.

The bad news: Remediation cost for larger areas of mold will be greater, but it will ensure further damage is not done. The cost of inspection by a specialist averages $500 to $6,000— depending on the entire scope of the infestation. Remember to consider some type of protection from mold when purchasing insurance. If a problem should arise, your insurance will help offset at least part of the cost of mold removal.

BROUGH T T O Y OU B Y Y OUR A GEN T, A MEMBER OF T HE RE SIDEN T I A L RE A L E S TAT E C OUNCIL

EFER R

LS!

ER OV

EQUAL HOUSING

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS THINKING ABOUT BUYING OR SELLING A HOME? PLEASE MENTION MY NAME. This newsletter is for informational purposes only and should not be substituted for legal or financial advice. If you are currently working with another real estate agent or broker, it is not a solicitation for business.

OPPORTUNITY

Tips and trends for homeowners, buyers and sellers

HOME CARE

myths 

Realtor.com® shares 8 top home care myths that are a waste of your time and money.

Stone countertops are indestructible In fact, stone countertops are easy to stain and scratch. Plus, regular household cleaners and mildly acidic substances, like soda, coffee and wine, can dull stone surfaces over time.

Your smoke detector’s test button is foolproof The test button tells you the sound is working, not if the sensor that detects smoke is working. Use real smoke to check it. Light a match, blow it out and hold it near the detector. If the alarm goes off, it’s working.

SAY YES TO CRS

Gutter guards are maintenance-free Gutter guards may keep out leaves, but small debris can still get through. It’s best to clean them every two years— or once a year if your home is surrounded by trees—to prevent damage to your gutters.

A lemon is a great way to clean a disposal A lemon’s acidic juice will corrode the metal parts of your disposal, and coffee grounds will accumulate in pipes and clog them. The best natural cleaner is baking soda, which will clean the blades but won’t damage the metal.

Mow your lawn short and you’ll mow less often It’s important to leave 1 to 3 inches of grass above the roots to keep your lawn lush. Removing more will leave your grass too weak to withstand weeds and pests. It also exposes the roots to the sun, causing the lawn to dry out.

CFLs cost too much, and are dangerous Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) aren’t as expensive as you think and don’t contain enough mercury to cause any harm. Plus, CFLs last an average of five years.

Trendy kitchen re-do will increase my home’s value Home trends come and go quickly. Instead of remodeling in the latest look, try repainting with trendy colors. If you do opt for a full remodel, choose elements with a timeless style, like wood floors and subway tile.

A contractor recommendation from a friend is good enough Look for a contractor as if it were a job interview. Before hiring, talk to a couple of sources, check the contractor’s online reviews and ask a local building inspector which contractors meet code on the properties they inspect.

Buying or selling a home can seem like an overwhelming task. But the right REALTOR® can make the process easier—and more profitable. A Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), with years of experience and success, will help you make smart decisions in a fast-paced, complex and competitive marketplace. To earn the CRS Designation, REALTORS® must demonstrate outstanding professional achievements—including high-volume sales—and pursue advanced training in areas such as finance, marketing and technology. They must also maintain membership in the National Association of REALTORS® and abide by its Code of Ethics. Work with a REALTOR® who belongs in the top 3 percent in the nation. Contact a CRS today.

NEW COUNCIL BENEFIT FREE MOBILE CRM AND NETWORKING APP FOR ALL CRS DESIGNEES RRC & Agentdesks have teamed up to offer CRS Designees this exclusive new member benefit. Agentdesks has developed a unique mobile-first communications platform designed specifically for top-performing REALTORS®. And now this free RRC member benefit has been exclusively customized for CRS Designees:

• Send & track referrals for free • Complimentary use of DocuSign® inside the app • Exclusive CRS groups set up for every county • Broadcast buyer needs and both MLS and off-market listings • Mobile first CRM and messaging tool • Set up automated follow-ups and engaging on-time MLS property alerts

Download Agentdesks exciting new mobile app FOR FREE ($180.00 Value)

GET IT TODAY!

Download the Agentdesks app at the Apple App Store or on Google Play

ask a

CRS advice from your peers

LOONEY TOONS

Fill in the blank: “The craziest thing a client ever said to me was _________.”

As we leave closing: “Why did they put my wife on the deed? We are getting divorced next week.” —Mike Inman, Coldwell Banker McMahan Co., Lexington, Kentucky

Buyer asked if I would loan him $100,000 to do updates after closing. —Marisa DiNucci, Century 21 North Shore, Danvers, Massachusetts

After asking a buyer how he planned to purchase the home: “God sent me a message that the seller would give me the house.” —Pat Gust Tasker, Shorewest REALTORS®, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

I was showing a client a home. We all went inside, and they mentioned very quickly that they felt some kind of spirit or presence in the home. They wanted to know whether anyone was killed in the home. I held my tongue and didn’t ask, “Do you see dead people?” —Mark Hess, Keller Williams INTEGRITY, Lawrence, Kansas

“Is that a bullet hole in the door?” I said yes, that it was a .30-06, because my last client didn’t buy from me! Great conversation starter about agency! —Jim Paulson, Progressive Realty Corporation, Boise, Idaho

After closing, my seller client wanted to go back to retrieve something they’d forgotten—an urn of ashes of the family dog, buried in the backyard.

“I filed bankruptcy yesterday; does this change my offer that was accepted last week?” —Cindy Ulsrud, First Weber Group, Madison, Wisconsin

—Karen Crowson, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, San Diego, California

We are closing in the attorney’s office. My seller is filling out the closing docs as the question is asked about private burial grounds. My seller says, “Yes, my twin brother’s ashes are buried in the backyard.” I asked if he wanted them back. My seller said 'no,' and the attorney proceeded to the next question. The end! —Joni Eubank, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Professionals, Iowa City, Iowa

Mar Apr

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I followed my client back inside the house because she needed to check out one more thing before she made an offer. She went inside the bathroom and got down on her knees in front of the toilet. “I just want to see how it’s going to be after a night on the town drinking and I need to puke. I want to see how that’s going to feel.” —Renae Forsyth-Christy, Skogman Realty, Marion, Iowa

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