NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 8-16-21

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

HOW SOFT MONEY LOANS

5 STEPS

TO ACHIEVE LONG TERM SUCCESS AS A REAL ESTATE AGENT

ARE THE FUTURE OF LENDING

GOOGLE ADWORDS:

HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU

FEATURED AGENT

NIC JUDD COVER STORY

SCOTT LONEY & ALICIA WORLEY LONEY & WORLEY TEAM

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

NIC JUDD With 17 years of real estate experience, Nic Judd has made it his goal to 7 provide the highest standard of service for his clients and always give them the best results. Nic started in the business as an investor, but as he began to really enjoy the transaction process he switched over and started working with buyers and sellers. As the new owner of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty- Legends, he serves clients in SCOTT Rocklin,LONEY California, and surrounding areas. & ALICIA WORLEY

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NIC JUDD

that this is a life changing event goal is always to elevate their l Now that doesn’t necessarily m go from a small house to a big Elevation of lifestyle can be sizing to accommodate your inc upsizing to accommodate a larg family. We’re really looking they are trying to accomplish. H we going to improve this one p life or this family’s life?”

Outside of work, Nic is invo his church and donates to various charitable like GiGi’s Playhouse, an organization that s those with Down syndrome and The Salt Min spare time, he loves to snow ski and wake su his family.

Part of Nic’s strategy for success is ensuring that each clients’ experience is stress-free and that their needs are always met, even after the transaction is over. “I think clients come back and refer their family and friends to CONTENTS me because they appreciate my genuine care. My team likes to keep in contact with our clients and provide other services atE Yno& cost.

As for hisNEW plans going forward, Nic says he is foc LADWORDS: ON W O R Whether L E Y T E A Mthat’s a referral 4) GOOGLE 16) for 5 FRESH a vendor or a particular project they may need at their growth. “The plan is to expand and continually HOWhouse, TO like MAKE GOOGLE TOtraining CONTENT a handyman or painter. We keepAPPROACHES it good our team with that benefits our clients DO THE YOU MARKETING contactWORK with them FOR and make them feel supported long after the transaction is done.”

SCOTT LONEY & ALICIA WORLEY

13) HOW SOFT MONEY 22) 5 STEPS TO ACHIEVE In terms of marketing, Nic likes to place an emphasis LOANS ARE THE FUTURE on what improvements can be done before theLONG photog- TERM SUCCESS AS rapher gets involved.

“We spend a bit of time prepping OF LENDING A REAL ESTATE AGENT

the property, which I think is crucial to marketing.

I love to discuss the small things that you can do to improve the value of the property. I start with a good deep cleaning and decluttering to make sure the home is open and airy with| Fax great310-734-1440 light for high quality pictures Phone 310-734-1440 and a virtual 3D tour. We then focus on both online and mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com offline avenues to market to a wide audience.”

No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent deepbydedication to his clients shines brightest Magazine isNic’s published Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published when he discusses his favorite part of working in real materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To subscribe or change send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

To learn more about Nic Judd estate.

“It’saddress, the relationships with the people. I like Published insitting the U.S. please email nic@thejuddteam.co down with my client and looking at what their

goals are and how we can achieve them. Not so much in just the house, but how I like to explain it to them is

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visit LegendsREGroup.com, or call 916–572–9610 www.

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Google AdWords:

How To Make Google Do the Work for You There is no denying that the internet is the first place a buyer begins looking for a new home in this digital age. Knowing how to put the powerful tools available on the internet to work for you can give you a decided advantage when it comes to attracting prospective buyers to your listings, as well as you as an agent. Google is easily one of the major superpowers of the internet, and they have one of the most powerful advertising tools available. Knowing how to utilize Google AdWords in the correct manner can make your internet advertising immensely powerful and possibly your best way to reach prospective buyers.

Google AdWords is also extremely cost-effective. This multifaceted tool gives you much more control over your advertising campaign than other more traditional methods. You can target specific audiences, choose the specific search terms, also known as keywords, that will bring up your ad in someone’s search results, and you can set a budget for each campaign that will dictate it’s reach and how long the campaign will run. Here are some tips for how to put Google AdWords to work for you.

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ent websites. You want to set yourself apart from every other real estate website users are viewing in their search for a house.

MAKE SURE YOUR ADS ARE GOING TO SEND USERS TO A SITE THAT WILL CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION

You can spend an infinite amount of money on Google advertising campaigns, but if those ads don’t send users to a site that will capture and hold their interest, then you’ve just wasted all that money. Don’t put your cart before the horse. Make sure you are considering exactly where these ads are going to send users. To set up your website for success, at the very least you want to make sure users are greeted by clear call-to-action, such as a message that will encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. You want to set up your website to maximize and capture the leads the ad campaign sends your way.

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BUILD CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOM-MADE WEBSITES RATHER THAN TEMPLATE WEBSITES It is easy and tempting to use template websites, or to offer your agents template websites if you are a real estate manager or broker. While this offers a cost-effective solution to providing every agent with a website, it does little to set you or your agents apart and capture the attention of users that are used to seeing a wealth of differ-

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MAKE SURE YOU ARE OFFERING VALUE ON YOUR WEBSITE

Don’t simply use your website as a kind of brag sheet. Let users know what makes your particular services valuable to them. Highlight your expertise in a certain location through tools such as blog posts, providing market updates, or giving pertinent information on a unique type of property. This will ensure that your online advertising campaigns are much more successful.

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LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!

Location is everything in real estate, and the same holds true for Google AdWords. You can target specific locations in your ad campaign. While one approach is to focus on the area around your location, a more advanced approach would be to link AdWords campaigns to your Google My Business account. This is a Google service that includes your address in the ad, allowing people to then click on it and see exactly where you are located on a map.

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USE GOOGLE ADWORDS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Focus an AdWords campaign on expanding your business by incorporating specific zip codes and neighborhoods that will help you establish a presence in an area where you would like to increase your real estate business. Making sure that your ad appears in search results that are related to the real estate in a specific area will help shape the image and brand of your business as well as bring in new leads.

HARNESS THE POWER OF DATA

When you run a Google AdWords campaign Google Analytics captures a wealth of information about your target client demographic.

You can gain real insight into your online visitors, such as when they visit, what they do and look at on your site once they get there, and what search terms they use. You can use all of this information to grow your business. Use Google Analytics to determine which users (location, gender, age) are utilizing specific aspects of your site, such as looking at multiple listings, reading your blog, etc. You can then use this information to target these specific demographics in your AdWord campaigns, Gmail ads, the Google Display Network, and other advertising.

Using the internet to help advertise your business and your listings is one of the smartest moves you can make as an agent in this modern age. However, you don’t want to simply go into the process blind or you’re wasting a lot of potential resources and data that could make all the difference. To reap the benefits of Google AdWords, you must apply an intelligent strategy to using these campaigns.

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SCOTT LONEY & ALICIA WORLEY Top Agent Magazine

LONEY & WORLEY TEAM

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“The key thing for us is that we start working with sellers early on. We advise them on the things they should do to improve the property, depending on what their financial goals are when selling their property.”

With over three decades of experience in real estate, Scott Loney and Alicia Worley have a strong reputation for going above and beyond to help their clients succeed.

Their passion, knowledge and open communication style help them achieve the 8

best results for both buyers and sellers.

Together with their team, Zachary Loney, Judi Tavenier, Jim Hoff and Karl VanLoo, they serve a variety of clients throughout the North Bay Area, with a special focus on high end country properties located in Top Agent Magazine

Solano and Napa Counties.

When working with sellers, Alicia and Scott have a detailed approach that helps generate the largest return on investment for their clients. “The key thing for us is that we start working with sellers early on.

We advise them on the things they should do to improve the property, depending on what their financial goals are when selling their property. We hear that a lot of other agents just show up and put the listing in the MLS. We show up with a notepad and Top Agent Magazine

make a list, then prioritize the changes our clients could make to get the highest return. If they’re looking to relocate to another state due to a job, they’re going to want to sell quickly,” Alicia explains, and Scott adds, “In order to help them meet their deadlines we plan and schedule the launch of our very competitive marketing campaign. Usually at an open house agents will have 10 to 15 people come in—we have on average 80 to a 100. We launch a huge marketing campaign that draws a lot of attention from buyers.”

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Completing between 35 and 50 transactions per year, Alicia and Scott love the variety that their work provides. “Every day in real estate is different.

If we were sitting in an office and just doing people’s taxes, that would probably get boring fast. But in real estate, there are always new challenges.

There are properties out there that can be challenging, which makes what we do that much more exciting. We sell our 10

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properties for record prices. It doesn’t matter what type of market we’re in.”

In order to give their clients the best service, the duo have to think outside the box. “We always meet with the appraiser. We give them our price, and we explain why it’s justified. I think a lot of agents drop the ball at this crucial point, and don’t go to work for the seller with the appraiser.”

“We always meet with the appraiser. We give them our price, and we explain why it’s justified. I think a lot of agents drop the ball at this crucial point, and don’t go to work for the seller Outside of work, the pair are very active with the appraiser.” and like to enjoy the outdoors. “We love

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kayaking, surfing, and outdoor sports— anything that gives us an excuse to turn off our phones for a little while and enjoy ourselves outside of work.”

Going forward Alicia and Scott are focused on expanding their business.

“We’re looking to recruit more agents and grow. We’re also scheduled to shoot more episodes with American Dream TV, which we started working on before COVID-19 happened. It’s a fun way to promote the local area and show people why it’s a great idea to move here.”

To learn more about Scott Loney email sclrealty@gmail.com, or call (707) 290 – 0556. To learn more about Alicia Worley email aworleyrealty@gmail.com, or call (707) 344 –1300.

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How Soft Money Loans are the Future of Lending ‘Soft Money’ is a relatively new term in the lending industry; an innovative approach to private money lending, a soft money loan combines the benefits of a hard money loan with the greater security that a traditional loan Top Agent Magazine

offers. While a soft money loan requires more underwriting, it also offers lower risks and less risk, making it a deeply attractive option to borrowers who find the concept but not the details of a hard money loan appealing.

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Hard Money Loans As you know, a hard money loan is an assetbased loan, based on the Loan to Value (LTV) of the investment property. They require little underwriting, making them a quick loan for borrowers to get approved, are bridge loans, and are generally not based on a borrower’s credit score. This makes them a high-risk loan that is used for real estate investment. The high-risk nature of this type of loan as well as reservations from the 2008 housing market crash, may make some borrowers reluctant to pursue this type of loan. This type of loan also does not increase a borrower’s credit rating, which may also decrease their appeal to borrowers with good credit.

What is Soft Money?

Soft Money is an innovative new approach to private money lending which combines the benefits of both hard money loans and more traditional loans. First, a clarification on the name: the term ‘soft money’ in the world of lending is completely different from ‘soft money’ in the world of political campaigning. In the context of lending, the term ‘soft money’ implies that this type of loan falls somewhere between a hard money loan and a traditional loan.

A soft money loan requires more underwriting than a hard money loan, allowing it to have lower rates and greater security. It is based on both the borrower’s credit score and the property’s LTV, and is always a term loan

rather than a bridge loan. Additionally, this type of mortgage loan program is beneficial for real estate investors with a credit score of 650 or above. The combination of lower rates, higher LTV’s, no tax returns and a longer time frame makes the soft money loan a better fit than a hard money loan for many borrower’s situations, particularly those interested in investing in long term rental properties.

Soft Money Loan rates start at 4.375% and go up to 85% LTV for most investment property types.

Why is Soft Money the Future of Lending?

Calling soft money ‘the new hard money’ may seem trite and contrived, but upon further reflection, soft money truly is the direction for the future of private money lending.

While the hard money loan is still the most popular option for many real estate investment scenarios, the soft money loan will increasingly become the loan used by first-time real estate investors or borrower’s looking to hold a long term investment property, and investors with a high credit score who are looking for higher LTVs and lower interest rates.

Unlike conventional investment property loans that max out at 70% LTV, a NO-DOC Soft Money Loan Program maxes at 85% LTV and with no PMI. This allows the borrower to put less money down on their purchase.

When you’re ready to invest, Stratton Equities can help. We are the nationwide leading direct Hard Money and NON-QM lender, with an impressive array of programs, lowest private money rates (starting at 4.375%), professional team of experienced loan officers, and quick loan approval process.

If you have an investment property and wish to speak with one of our Loan Officers, call Stratton Equities at 800-962-6613, email us, or apply for loan pre-qualification today!

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5 Fresh New Approaches to Content Marketing A couple of weeks ago we were conducting a workshop when we were asked two excellent questions about content marketing:

• People

don’t want to hear from a roofing company every day. So how do you produce fresh and interesting content for social media that goes beyond your core services and yet ties back to your business?

• Can

you extend your social media presence and content to include personal things (like your hobbies) and how does that affect your overall business image?

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The workshop attendee who asked the first question was right. Almost no one wants to hear from any company every day… especially if all the content is about products and services…and yes, even if they’re giving helpful tips and information. Does that mean you should stop producing excellent daily content related to your business? No, of course not! Content is created for two reasons.

First, to provide knowledge, expertise and even entertainment to your ideal customers in order to achieve top of mind awareness as an authority in your industry. And second, to produce SEO-rich results that keep you at the top of search engines. You must strike a

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balance between the two, and try to include content that draws people in by being super interesting and entertaining….and yes, sometimes personal.

To help answer those content questions above, here are five different types of content (beyond the traditional stuff) that can give your brand a fresh, unique and balanced approach:

1. PHILANTHROPIC Your community efforts say a lot about who you are, and people will make an extra effort to do business with you as a result of this connection. We’ve consulted business owners who are very hesitant to promote these efforts because they don’t want it to seem as though they are exploiting the charities and organizations—and most especially because they don’t do it for the promotional aspects. They do it to give back. I ask you to keep this in mind. Nonprofit and charitable organizations very often have small marketing budgets. Not only do they rely on outside marketing forces to promote their initiatives, they would likely be forced to close their doors without that support. That means that when someone with a strong brand and presence promotes them, it’s a highly trusted and personal connection, and you can’t buy that kind of support. In other words, they not only need you to promote them, they want you to promote them. But your instincts are correct. It’s not about you. So just make sure your entire content focuses on the organization you’re helping, what they do for the community and how Top Agent Magazine

others can join in the cause. Then it becomes a huge win for all.

2. HOBBIES You bungee jumped from four of the tallest bridges in the U.S. In your spare time, you go fly fishing. You love playing chef and use only locally grown, organic foods. Your friends are always begging you to go to Vegas with your card shark talents. You’ve done mission work in Africa and would like to start your own group. You almost played professional baseball. You have an insane talent for gardening design or bass guitar.

Your family works at a soup kitchen once a month. Ok…you get the picture. And two more words. Reality TV. People are interesting…and people are interested in interesting people. We remember others based on these unique traits. And most of all, people love the story behind the face. Don’t be afraid to share your hobbies. Quite often, it’s the first thing that will personally connect you to a prospect.

3. CREATIVE CONNECTION This one is perhaps our favorite. While we can’t imagine seeing something come across our news feed from a landscaping company every day, imagine this for a moment. What are we always told to remember in this hectic world? Stop and smell the roses, right? So what if…a landscaping company posted a beautiful flower each day, just to remind you to ‘stop and smell the roses’. And at the bottom of that photo (small print), you included

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the type of flower and type of environment needed to make it flourish (moist soil, full sun, etc.). And then, of course, watermarked it with your logo….and a title like, “Sam’s Daily Reminder: It’s Time to Stop & Smell the Roses”. You could even include some great, thought-provoking quotes. It has the personal connection (Sam), the business connection (flowers & logo watermark) and a cool creative connector (pause the meetings and paperwork to take a moment and appreciate life by noticing this beautiful flower). This is a great idea for staying ‘top of mind’ and connecting business with the kind of creative messaging people wouldn’t mind seeing every day.

4. EXPERIENCES This one is similar to hobbies from the personal aspect, but instead of something that identifies us like our hobbies, our experiences are random happenings that can have great interest and meaning to our audience.

Whether you have a unique experience buying a new car or a fateful conversation with a stranger in the airport, if you feel it ties into a life lesson or business lesson you’d like to share, by all means do. The lesson is to keep your radar up 24/7. Any experiences you have which relate to your

ideal customer are an opportunity to connect beyond the business world. And when we do that, we become a part of the family.

5. INFLUENCERS “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. You’ve probably heard that saying, and the same is true whether you are a teenager or a business owner. Maybe you’ve learned a lot of your business knowledge from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet…or you like to quote Benjamin Franklin. Perhaps you have some mentors you’d like to recognize and tell why they’re important to you. Sharing the people and things that influence us is what makes us human. No matter how successful your business, you didn’t get there alone. People and circumstances shaped you along the way. Recognizing others for their contribution in our lives, large or small, is important in staying connected and grounded.

We hope these five types of content help you to put a fresh spin on what you share with your audience, whether personal or professional. We believe you must have the combination of both to build an incredible brand.

Tonya Eberhart is the Branding Agent to Business Stars and founder of BrandFace®, LLC. Michael Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer & BrandFace® partner. Together, they focus on personal branding and marketing designed to help real estate professionals become the face of their business & a star in their market. BrandFace® for Real Estate Professionals is a book, professional speaking series and an exclusive workshop for agents, and is currently active in 18 U.S. states, Canada and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.BrandFaceRealEstate.com.

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NIC JUDD With 17 years of real estate experience, Nic Judd has made it his goal to provide the highest standard of service for his clients and always give them the best results. Nic started in the business as an investor, but as he began to really enjoy the transaction process he switched over and started working with buyers and sellers. As the new owner of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty- Legends, he serves clients in Rocklin, California, and surrounding areas.

Part of Nic’s strategy for success is ensuring that each clients’ experience is stress-free and that their needs are always met, even after the transaction is over. “I think clients come back and refer their family and friends to me because they appreciate my genuine care. My team likes to keep in contact with our clients and provide other services at no cost. Whether that’s a referral for a vendor or a particular project they may need at their house, like a handyman or painter. We keep it good contact with them and make them feel supported long after the transaction is done.”

that this is a life changing event and our goal is always to elevate their lifestyle.

Now that doesn’t necessarily mean we go from a small house to a big house.

Elevation of lifestyle can be downsizing to accommodate your income or upsizing to accommodate a larger scale family. We’re really looking at what they are trying to accomplish. How are we going to improve this one person’s life or this family’s life?”

Outside of work, Nic is involved in his church and donates to various charitable causes like GiGi’s Playhouse, an organization that supports those with Down syndrome and The Salt Mine. In his spare time, he loves to snow ski and wake surf with his family.

As for his plans going forward, Nic says he is focused on growth. “The plan is to expand and continually educate our team with training that benefits our clients.”

In terms of marketing, Nic likes to place an emphasis on what improvements can be done before the photographer gets involved. “We spend a bit of time prepping the property, which I think is crucial to marketing.

I love to discuss the small things that you can do to improve the value of the property. I start with a good deep cleaning and decluttering to make sure the home is open and airy with great light for high quality pictures and a virtual 3D tour. We then focus on both online and offline avenues to market to a wide audience.”

Nic’s deep dedication to his clients shines brightest when he discusses his favorite part of working in real estate. “It’s the relationships with the people. I like sitting down with my client and looking at what their goals are and how we can achieve them. Not so much in just the house, but how I like to explain it to them is Top Agent Magazine

To learn more about Nic Judd please email nic@thejuddteam.com, visit LegendsREGroup.com, or call 916–572–9610 www.

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Are You Doing Business As YOU On Facebook?

Are you ‘Doing Business As YOU’ on your personal Facebook page? In other words, are you posting your business content from your personal page?

Yesterday a REALTOR® asked us, “Why should I bother with a company Facebook page? Can’t I just post everything from my profile page?”

The answer lies in what we call division of content. As you may be aware, social media began as just that… social. It was never truly intended for business use.

Over time, as businesses began to see the potential in reaching the masses in a new way, they began to intrude on this communication. Today, it is widely accepted that business will be conducted on all social platforms, but the manner in which we do so (and in which we are received) is still a touchy subject at times.

We believe it’s important to be transparent on social media. Draw the line between communicating as the Person and the Professional. Not only does this help you keep your content separate and appropriate, it also gives the control to your network of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and customers.

They get to decide whether to ‘like’ or ‘follow’ your company page. They get to decide whether they want to see your business related posts. User control is the #1 reason you need a business page if you’re conducting business on Facebook. Wouldn’t you rather have a willing and engaged audience over a forced, potentially reluctant one? We have personally eliminated many of the ‘DBA’ offenders from our news feeds and you have likely done the same.

As in all controversial social media topics, there is some gray area. And that gray area is often subjective, so consider this post food for thought and decide for yourself. We try our best to keep professional content on our business pages, with a couple of exceptions: 1. Philanthropic Promotion: We’re in favor of posting anything that will help an organization in need on both your personal and business pages. Nonprofits often have little to no marketing budget and rely on all of us to promote their good works, so we believe that’s a good line to cross (as long as it’s about the organization, and not you).

2. Recognition Tagging: Facebook does not allow you to tag an individual on your business page. Yes, there are some tricky work-arounds, but they are inconsistent at best. So when it’s truly important for us to recognize and tag an individual, especially someone who has done something nice for us (inviting us as guests on their radio show or podcast, for instance), we will generally post that on the business page first, then share it from our personal pages, along with a comment recognizing and tagging the individual(s) or business who helped us.

Either way (personal or business), remember to be true to the social aspect. Our participation on social media should be about giving, helping, recognizing and connecting…especially when it comes to your business.

Tonya Eberhart is the Branding Agent to Business Stars and founder of BrandFace®, LLC. Michael Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer & BrandFace® partner. Together, they focus on personal branding and marketing designed to help real estate professionals become the face of their business & a star in their market. BrandFace® for Real Estate Professionals is a book, professional speaking series and an exclusive workshop for agents, and is currently active in 18 U.S. states, Canada and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.BrandFaceRealEstate.com.

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5 Steps to Achieve Long Term Success as a Real Estate Agent Real Estate can have a reputation as an industry with a high turnover as far as agents go. Being a ‘people person’ with an entrepreneurial spirit is a great start, but what some fail to realize when starting out is that this is a business.

So if you’re in it for the long haul, you need to treat it that way. Here are some key steps you need to take to have your own successful real estate business.

1

FIND A MENTOR

Once you get your license and hang your sign at a Brokerage, you’ll find that you’re pretty much on your own. That’s why it’s a good idea for new agents to find a large Brokerage that offers in-house training and mentorship or a boutique brokerage that has more seasoned agents who are eager to take a new agent under their wing. Being able to shadow a more experienced agent is invaluable and allows you to mirror what you’ve seen and run through the numerous scenarios that will arise when you are representing a client.

2

CONTINUOUS TRAINING

This is a business that is constantly changing, so it’s smart to always stay ahead of the curve when it comes to new technological innovations and systems. There are even numerous online resources, where you can keep up on your trade, such as blogs by top producing agents that are a treasure trove of information. A confident agent with an in-depth knowledge of the business is one that easily earns the trust of their client, leading to repeat and referral business, which will be the bread and butter of your business.

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BUILD A STRONG ONLINE PRESENCE

Yes, referrals are the basis of your business, but building a strong online presence and marketing yourself to new clients is also important, especially before you’ve built up a strong referral base. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media tools are great way to get leads both for your listings and for yourself. It’s even a good idea to buy several domain names when you start, so that when you’re ready to build a website, you can ensure you have the names you want. Obviously the internet is also a great resource to find leads. Before you find a niche for yourself, it’s important to take advantage of every avenue there is. A lot of successful agents started off doing things no one else wanted to take on like foreclosures, expired listings or lower priced homes. But as you’ll find out, helping those who need it most is a great way to build a loyal client base, that will not only come back to you when they are ready to sell or buy again, but will be your biggest cheerleaders when it comes to referring you to friends and family.

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BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION

5

SET GOALS

One thing you’ll find in this business is that doing a lot of work up top, will lead to a more successful outcome down the road. That goes for marketing plans for your listings, as well as your business as a whole. It might not be the fun part, but it will allow you to one day focus on what you do best, dealing with your clients. Set up your CRM and the other systems you want to use from the get go. Getting these things established before you’re hopefully a busy agent is the best time to really learn them and decide what’s best for you.

Once you build a strong foundation and are establishing your client base, it’s important to continually set goals that help you implement your business strategy.

You can even invest in a real estate coach if you need someone to hold you accountable. It’s also important to constantly reevaluate what you’re doing. Set up a monthly audit, where you go over what is and what isn’t working. As we mentioned above, this is a fluid business and things are constantly changing, the same can be said of your business. What worked a year ago, might be losing you money as your business grows.

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