Author: Joe Lins

Rainy Days and Real Estate

What’s a REALTOR to do on a rainy day in California? We don’t get much rain in Southern California, but when we do it pours! Days like that can make it hard to get into the office and go to work. And once you get there, what the heck do you do?

Whether you choose to go into the office or stay home on rainy days, don’t let the day pass without doing a few activities for your business. At the end of the day, you’ll be glad you did.

Photo of real estate agent working at their desk.

Here are my Top 10 Rainy Day Ideas for Realtors:

1. Make a minimum of 10 prospecting calls

Call your sphere of influence (SOI) to see how they’re doing. Ask how the rain is affecting them and their family.

2. Update your Client Relationship Management System (CRM)

Rainy days are a perfect day to update your client database. Add their birthdays, anniversaries, spouse’s name, pet’s names….. Make sure to add the anniversary date of their home purchase. Our Century 21 Discovery agents have a CRM tool through MoxiWorks and have the ability to send email through that system which allows them to see who is actually opening the email.

3. Write and mail a minimum of 10 notes

Sending a handwritten note to people in your database is a nice touch and a great way to stay top of mind.

4. Update your online profiles and bio

Make sure all your online and social media profiles and bios are up-to-date. Update your profile photo and any certifications or awards you have received. Have you claimed your Realtor.Com profile? Claim it and update your profile by adding your photo, contact information and any additional relevant information.

5. Set up an email campaign

If you use a CRM, it probably has the capability to set up an email drip-campaign for your database. (See No. 2) These are a great way to remind them that you are in real estate. Even on rainy days!

6. Review the active listings in the MLS for your city of choice

You want to stay on top of the market activity and the best way to do that is to review the listings in your market regularly. Educate yourself to have intelligent conversations about the market, because you know you’ll be asked.

7. Set appointments to show property

Are you working with Buyers? By reviewing the active MLS listings daily (see No. 6) you will know what’s new to the market and can schedule a tour for your Buyers.

8. Schedule an Open House

No listings? Ask an agent with a listing if you can hold an Open House for them. Once you have it scheduled in the MLS make sure you post it on social media. Also, invite the neighbors to your Open House. Maybe they know someone who would love to live in their neighborhood. Ask them!

9. Write a blog post

If writing is your thing, write a blog post. Don’t have a blog? Ask a real estate blogger if you can write a guest post on their blog.

10. Subscribe and listen to our podcast

For more tips and education about your real estate career, subscribe to our podcast “Discover Your Real Estate Career”.

Implement some of these ideas to stay focused on your business on those rainy days when you’d rather stay in bed and watch Netflix.

About the author: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team or would like more information about our services, training and coaching we provide, contact Joe at 714.626.2069.

What is Title Insurance and Why do I need it?

By Joe Lins

August 11, 2021

I sat down with Collin Frangie of Ticor Title to talk about title insurance and why we need it in this latest episode of our podcast. Here is a partial transcript of our podcast. For the full podcast see the link below.

Joe Lins of Century 21 Discovery and Collin Frangie of Ticor Title talking during the podcast recording.

What is Property Title Insurance?

A Property Title is similar to a record of ownership with a vehicle. When you purchase a car, there’s a history of who owned it. The DMV keeps that title record. Property title is very similar. It’s a record of ownership of the home, which is kept at the county recorder’s office where your home is located. Title insurance companies insure that the person who owns the home has the legal right to ownership of the home.

What is a Title Search?

A Title Search is a search to see who actually owns the home and if there are any loans or liens against the property. Title searches are done by title companies, like Ticor Title. You can do your own title search if you want. You can go down to your county office and look through documents or on microfiche for properties built before 1975.

How Long Does A Title Search Take?

A typical search, if everything is digital, meaning the property was built after 1975, is usually one to three days. Now if the property was built prior to that, and it has not changed ownership since then, you’re looking at about a week. The title company has to hire someone to go down and do that microfiche search and compile all those records. Hiring someone to do this takes a little bit more time.

What about the property that was built in 1935, and it’s sold the 1956. And then it’s sold again in the year 2000. And now it’s getting ready to sell again, and they have to go back to 1935? How does that work? According to Collin, if it has been insured since 1975, they can go back and use that old insurance policy to date and then insure it forward from that date.

What type of issues can delay a policy and what happens if an issue surfaces?

One issue that can happen is when there is a private lien holder who has placed a lien against the property. If the title company can’t find the private beneficiary to get the reconveyance showing the loan was paid off it can hold up the title insurance. That is why agents should be getting a preliminary title report as soon as they take the listing so they can see if there are any issues that may come up.

How Are Costs Determined?

The cost for title insurance are fees that are filed with the state. They are pre-determined by the title company attorneys and increase about 3% per year with inflation. The fees are tied to the value of the home. The higher the value of the home the more liens that can be placed against it. Which means a bigger title insurance policy will be needed.

What is a Preliminary Title Report?

The preliminary title report, or Prelim, pulls the full chain of title for a property title search. Title companies also run the individual’s names to see if there are any judgements against them. It will also show any easements on the property. Everyone who is part of the transaction: Agent, Escrow, Title, Lender, should be reading the Prelim.

Listen to the full podcast on the link below. If you do you can also learn about an exciting event happening in Collin’s life!

Ep. 45 | What is Title Insurance and Why do I need it?

About the author: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team or would like more information about our services or training we provide, contact Joe at 714.626.2069.

Communicating With Confidence

By Joe Lins
August 12, 2020

Communicating is crucial in every industry, but in real estate it’s our life line. Every step of a transaction requires communication in some capacity. In this episode of our podcast we sat down with Bill Kurzeja of Professional Success South to learn his tips for communicating with confidence.

Listen to the podcast here:

Prefer video? Watch the video of the podcast here:

About the author: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team or would like more information about our services or training we provide, contact Joe at 714.626.2069.

Build A Database From Scratch

By Joe Lins
July 23, 2020

A database is a fundamental piece of a real estate agent’s toolkit. Creating a database and keeping it current requires diligence on the part of the agent. In this episode of our podcast we discuss how to create a database from scratch. Ticor Title Executive Collin Frangie provides valuable insight and tips on the process.

Listen to the podcast here:

Prefer video? Watch the video recording of the podcast here:

Mindset

By Joe Lins
July 9, 2020

The proper mindset is crucial in any business but it’s extremely important in real estate. As sales people, real estate agents deal with rejection almost on a daily basis. Agents have to go out and “pound the pavement” each day to earn a paycheck. Having the right mindset can make or break a career. Right now, we’re in the middle of COVID-19 and a positive mindset will keep you on track, even on the most challenging days.

This episode of our podcast talks about having that positive mindset as you pivot to the new way of doing business.

Prefer video? Watch the video recording of the podcast here:

How to Master Client Relationships in a Virtual World

By Joe Lins
June 25, 2020

Real Estate is all about relationships. Right now, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be a challenge to establish and nurture relationships when our face-to-face meetings are limited. In this episode of our podcast I talk with real estate agent Jacob McCann to learn his tips on how to master client relationships in a virtual world.

Prefer audio? Listen to the podcast here:

How Do I Buy A Home During COVID-19?

By Joe Lins
May 5, 2020

Serious Buyers are asking “How do I buy a home during COVID-19?” People still need shelter and are looking for a home to buy. Let them know they can go through the home buying process while maintaining physical distancing and safe standards with these steps. These talking points will help you guide your Buyers as they find and purchase a home.

How do I sell my home during COVID-19?

By Joe Lins
April 30, 2020

What are you telling your Sellers right now about selling their home during COVID-19? I put together these steps a Seller can take to stay safe and healthy as they sell their home during this time. This video provides some important talking points to help guide your seller in the process.

Prefer audio? Here’s a link to the podcast.

How Do Real Estate Agents Work Virtually During COVID-19?

By Joe Lins
April 21, 2020

Are you curious how a top real estate agent works virtually during COVID-19? I had a Zoom chat with CENTURY 21 Discovery top agent Ismael Chavez about how he’s conducting his business, what tools he’s using and the advice he’s giving his Buyers and Sellers right now. He shared some great advice and words of wisdom for other agents. Give it a listen.

To listen to the full podcast click on the link below.

Prefer video? We’ve included a link to the video of the podcast too.

5 Things Real Estate Agents Can Do Working From Home

By Joe Lins
March 24, 2020

Are you quarantined due to COVID-19? If so, there’s some things you should be doing for your real estate business to stay on track. First, don’t be watching the news 24/7, it’ll drive you crazy. Here’s 5 things you can do working from home during this period of time that you are quarantined or self-isolating.

#1 – Get on your phone and call your clients.
Call your sphere of influence (SOI), call your past clients, call your prospects. Check in with them and see how they’re doing. Everybody likes that kind of a phone call: “Hey, how’s it going….”

#2 – Update your Client Relationship Management (CRM) tool.
Whatever CRM that happens to be, you need to be updating it on a regular basis. Our agents have access to a great one on 21Online called Business Builder. Everyone asks, “What’s a good CRM?” Well, it’s the one you actually use. Find one and use it.

#3 Update your Listing Presentation.
How does your current listing presentation look? Make sure it’s ready to go when you get a call to go on a listing appointment. Update it and make it unique to you and the value you provide your sellers.

#4 Set up an email campaign.
A wonderful tool for email campaigns that our CENTURY 21 Discovery agents have access to is also in Business Builder. Set it up, get a campaign going where you don’t have to do anything and every couple of weeks something is going out. This will help you stay top of mind with your clients who are also quarantined or self-isolating. Tip: Copy yourself on the campaign so you can see what it looks like when it goes out.

#5 Clean up your emails.
Go through your emails and unsubscribe from all the bright shiny objects someone is trying to sell you. Unsubscribe and clean it up so you’re not getting 250 emails a day.

There’s a lot of things you can be doing when you are forced to work from home due to the COVID-19 situation. Stay focused on your business during this time so you can come out on the other side of this stronger and ready to go.

For now, wash your hands, stay healthy and Charge On!

Here are my Top 10 Rainy Day Ideas for Realtors:

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