Author: Joe Lins

5 Habits You Should Start Now to Be Successful in Real Estate

By Joe Lins
June 15, 2023

To be successful in the real estate industry, it’s important to develop good habits that will set you up for long-term success. Here are five habits you should start now:

Continuous Learning

Real estate is a dynamic field that requires staying up to date with market trends, regulations, and best practices. Develop a habit of continuous learning by reading books, attending seminars, taking courses, and staying connected with industry professionals. This will help you make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

Networking

Building a strong network is crucial in real estate. Make it a habit to network regularly by attending industry events, joining real estate associations, and connecting with other professionals in the field. Networking can lead to valuable partnerships, referrals, and new opportunities. Also, participating in community events is a great way to network and become known in the community as the real estate expert.

Consistent Prospecting

Prospecting is the lifeblood of any real estate business. Develop a habit of consistent prospecting by setting aside dedicated time each day or week to identify and reach out to potential clients, investors, and partners. This can include cold calling, door knocking, online lead generation, or leveraging your network. Keep track of your prospecting and make notes to learn which one of your prospecting efforts produces the most results. Whether you use a notepad, an Excel spreadsheet or a CRM tool, keeping track will allow you to adjust and focus on what is working for your business.

Effective Time Management

Real estate professionals often juggle multiple tasks and deadlines. Cultivate good time management habits by prioritizing your activities, setting goals, and creating a daily or weekly schedule. Focus on high-value activities that directly contribute to your business growth and allocate time for prospecting, client meetings, property research, and administrative tasks. Use a calendar, paper or digital, to schedule these activities into your day.

Excellent Communication Skills

Effective communication is essential in real estate. Develop strong communication habits by actively listening to your clients, responding promptly to inquiries, and conveying information clearly and professionally. Enhance your written and verbal communication skills through practice and seek feedback to improve further. If you need to improve your verbal communication skills, recruit a family member or fellow agent to role play various scenarios. For written communication, create templates to use for the various types of emails needed for your business. That way you won’t have to “reinvent the wheel” and can simply cut and paste the necessary information into the email each time. When creating these templates, do a spell check and run them through a program like Grammarly to identify any corrections needed. Another option would be to ask someone in the Marketing Department at your brokerage to proofread them.

Remember that success in real estate takes time and dedication. By adopting these habits, you’ll be well on your way to building a solid foundation for your career in the industry.

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.

Rainy Days and Real Estate

By Joe Lins
January 10, 2023

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.

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.