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!
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.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Century 21® President and CEO Mike Miedler to talk about the benefits of joining CENTURY 21 Discovery. We talked about the tools and systems that are available to our real estate agents. He mentioned our office culture and the family-like atmosphere. We also talked about quality customer service and how that affects the referrals going back to the agents. The one big take away from our conversation was why successful real estate agents align their personal brand with CENTURY 21 Discovery and then build that brand on top of the most recognized brand in the industry.
Listen to the full podcast here. It’s only six minutes and will really give you an idea of what we’re all about.
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.
Today we are talking about how to find sellers. There’s a ton of opportunity to be had in regard to sellers. But where do you find them?
If you’re paying attention, there are many signals that can indicate a home is getting ready to be sold. This information is available as a public record or you can use services to help you mine the data for the information you need.
It requires awareness of the neighborhood and the desire to assist the seller achieve their desired outcome.
This latest episode of our podcast covers what you should be paying attention to in order to get listings.
Listen to the full 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.
In this episode of our podcast, I talk with our Communications Director, Suzy Lins, about why an agent should be “Coachable”. Full disclosure, she is also my wife.
Suzy explained how we have a marquee outside our building that we use for marketing our listings and promoting our agents or community events. We also utilize it for recruiting purposes and put up recruiting posts a few times a month. One of my favorites is “Looking for sports minded people – We are hiring!” I like this post because it generates a ton of activity and phone calls. Most people think we want sports minded people because they tend to be competitive. That’s partially true. We definitely need agents like that in this competitive industry of ours. There’s also another reason. We want people who are coachable.
My favorite recruiting post on our marquee.
What does it mean to be coachable?
I use a lot of sports metaphors in my business because you can learn a lot from team play. Sports-minded people are typically coachable and agents, especially newer agents, must be able to follow instructions from their “coach”. Coachable means you are able to listen to what your coach, manager or broker has to say and then do it unconditionally to achieve success as a result. Are you the type that goes out and asks five or ten more people their opinion and get totally confused and sidetracked? That’s not coachable.
Who should be your coach?
The first person you should got to is the broker or manager of the office. If they are not the type of leader who can coach you, they may have somebody they can refer you to. It may be a professional coach, like Brian Buffini or Mike or Tom Ferry or others like that. It could even be one of your peers in the office if they have a mentor system set up for agents.
Let’s talk about competition
Your number one competitor is you, the man in the mirror. You have to establish your goals and hold yourself accountable. You’re also competing with different agents out there from other firms that have different ways of doing business. You have to pick your way of doing business and compete on that level. You need to strive to be the very best in what you do. If you want to be part of the top 10% you have to do what the other 90% aren’t willing to do. It’s not that difficult.
What makes an agent coachable?
Don’t second guess your coach
Do exactly what your told to do – Don’t resist
Implement what they advise you to do
Trust your coach
Be open and honest with your coach
Listen to the full podcast here:
About the author: Joe Lins is President 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.
Have you ever had a real estate transaction that was held up until the buyer could obtain homeowners insurance? In this episode of our podcast insurance agent Michael Williams of Williams Insurance discusses the importance of starting the insurance process early and situations of fire-risk, flood insurance and past claims that could hold up the transaction.
Why Order The Policy Early?
Homeowners insurance is such a big piece of owning a home but it’s usually one of those last-minute items buyers think of in the home buying process. It really shouldn’t be. Michael suggests that once you open up escrow the buyer should contact their insurance agent. It’s not that hard to get an initial quote even before escrow or the lender start requesting information. One of the main reasons to start the process early is due to the fire exposures in our state. Unfortunately, the wildfires have been tremendous and Michael explained that they are reshaping how the industry works. He said that people are going to be very shocked to see their premiums change and a lot of non-renewals. Houses that you wouldn’t think are fire-risk are going to have a much more difficult time getting coverage.
Fire-Risk
I was in Sacramento recently for the annual California Association of Realtors conference and this was a hot topic. Fire-risk on properties is impacting the housing affordability. I asked Michael about the how the insurance industry is dealing with this. He explained that there is a system called “Fireline” that assesses the “score” of the house and the likelihood of exposure to a wildfire. That number combined with a special hazard square that they come up with determines whether a carrier wants to write a policy for a house in that area. The mapping for that is changing and also the acceptable scores are changing. Michael said carriers used to be much more lenient than they are now. Houses that you wouldn’t think have a brush exposure are getting denied.
There are a number of things that come into play when a home or area is “scored” through this system. They look at road access, utility quality, the wind and a number of different things that go into deciding whether it’s acceptable. Michael told us about a program the state runs called Fair Plan and how the insurance carriers partner with this government fund for hard-to-place risks. It can be a lot more expensive, on average a 25% increase over what most people expect their premiums to be. They will take higher risk properties but it’s more complicated and there are multiple layers of the policy.
Here’s a scenario that happens more often than you think and it is the exact reason you should encourage your buyers to start the insurance process early:
You’re nearing the close of escrow, the lender is requesting proof of homeowner’s insurance, you’ve removed contingencies and the buyer learns that the property is in what the insurer considers a high-risk area. Two things could derail this transaction – 1) The policy is more expensive than they can afford or 2) The property is uninsurable. What do you do now?
Flood Insurance
Another thing to consider is if the property is going to need flood insurance. Michael explained that they are re-mapping the flood zones which means that flood insurance is another policy that could be required by the lender. Homes that have not been required in the past to get flood insurance are now needing it. He reminded us that this requirement will be an additional cost to the buyer, so it‘s in everyone’s best interest to call the insurance agent as soon as possible to avoid surprises at the close of escrow.
Past Claims
Michael explained that insurance companies also look at “claims history” on the property. The claims history of the property made by the prior owner could affect the eligibility and rate for the buyer. Not all carriers have that stipulation but a number of them do. Another thing to keep in mind is the claims the buyer has had at their current property could actually follow them to the new property they are purchasing. This could also affect the rate and insurability of the property.
We hope this information will help you guide your buyers as they start the homebuying process. You don’t want to hold up an escrow with something that could have been avoided with a little bit of forewarning. Knowing these potential hold ups will allow you to get your buyer on the right track from the start.
Listen to the show to discover more about the insurance process for homebuyers.
About the author: Stephanie Goedl is Chief Operating Officer and Broker/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 us at 714.626.2069 or Careers@C21Discovery.com.
Michael Williams is the president of Williams Insurance in Fullerton, California. They have been around since 1941. They are a Property and Casualty Agency that handles home, auto and umbrella policies as well as commercial, health and life insurance. You can reach Michael at 714-526-5588 or mwilliams@williamsinsurance.com.
I recently had the opportunity to interview one of our top agents about what a day in her life looks like. This was a great conversation with Shonnie Jones of Jones Team Real Estate and she gave some valuable insight into what it takes to be a successful Realtor.
Listen to our podcast to learn how a successful agent spends their day.
Listen to the podcast here:
Watch the video of the podcast here:
About the author: Stephanie Goedl is Chief Operating Officer and Broker/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 us at 714.626.2069 or Careers@C21Discovery.com.
The Buyer Interview is the initial meeting with your buyer to find out what their real estate goals and aspirations are. This is important because once you figure out what your client wants you can do a better job of finding that property for them. Our value as a Realtor is finding the house that is good for them. The only way you can do that is by asking questions and building buyer loyalty.
Listen to our podcast to learn what questions to ask when interviewing buyers.
Listen to the podcast here:
Watch the video of the podcast here:
If you would like a copy of our Buyer Interview Questionnaire we would be happy to share it with you! Just email us at Careers@C21Discovery.com. To get the latest podcast episodes subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or Podbean.
About the authors: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. Stephanie Goedl is Chief Operating Officer and Broker/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 us at 714.626.2069 or Careers@C21Discovery.com.
To succeed in real estate you need to continually work on your presentation skills, negotiating skills and be up to date on the current industry forms. In this episode of our podcast, Stephanie Goedl and Joe Lins discuss the importance of training in your real estate career.
Listen to the podcast here:
Watch the video of the podcast here:
About the authors: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. Stephanie Goedl is Chief Operating Officer 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 us at 714.626.2069 or Careers@C21Discovery.com.
There’s a time and a place to be a perfectionist but sometimes you just need to get out there and take care of business. In this podcast episode, Joe and Stephanie discuss the pitfalls of getting ready to get ready to get ready.
Listen to the podcast here:
Watch the video of the podcast here:
About the authors: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. Stephanie Goedl is Chief Operating Officer 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 us at 714.626.2069 or Careers@C21Discovery.com.
Staying on track during the holidays can be a challenge for real estate agents. Agents who take the month off, who stop working, stop prospecting, find themselves in a huge slump in January and February.
Here are some tips to stay on track during the holidays to ensure a successful start in the new year.
Role Play
December is a great time to practice your scripts and role play. Brush up on your skills that need work.
Prospect and Lead Generation
Now is the time to do some aggressive lead follow up. Follow up with clients you worked with this year. Follow up with the buyers you were working with who took themselves out of the game and didn’t buy anything. Give them a call and let them know that right now there is a nice inventory to choose from. Take them out to look at some homes.
Refresh Your Listing Presentation
Update your listing presentation with new information and a new look for the new year.
Goal Setting
If you haven’t done it already, you need to sit down and set your goals for the new year. Once you’ve established your goals, then define the steps that you need to take to achieve those goals.
Your clients and SOI are probably making goals too! This the time of year people have more down time and are having conversations with family members about finding their first home or their next home. Give them a call to see how you can help them achieve that goal in the new year.
Balance
You don’t need to work 12 hour days during the holidays to start the new year off right. Have some balance in your life to enjoy this time with family and friends. Just don’t completely abandon your business through the holidays or you’ll be caught behind the 8 Ball come January 1st.
About the authors: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. Stephanie Goedl is Chief Operating Officer 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 us at 714.626.2069 or Careers@C21Discovery.com.
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