The Number 8 Means What?

Hey, it's 2008, and do you know what that means? New beginnings! That's right, the number 8 is referred to as New Beginnings! In fact, 8 stands for a lot of positive facts when you do a little research. Here's the bottom line, 2007 is almost out of here and 2008 (A New Beginning) is around the corner. Whatever you didn't get in 07, it's okay, because 08 is here and it's time for a new beginning. I'm sure you've heard the saying, God gave us two eyes in the front of our heads so we could look forward, not "backwards!"

So make 2008 a great year, look forward as real estate professionals to new and exciting ways to make your organization grow and prosper. I have a "wonderful" sales meeting I prepared asking the question to your team, "Do You Have The Right Gas in Your Tank?" If you would like to have a sample copy of this sales meeting, send me an e-mail to John@RealEstateSalesMeetings.com and request the "FREE" sample Sales Meeting!

Remember, 2008 is a "New Beginning!" Best of luck to you and your organization in the New Year!

NAR 2007 Echo

If there was one echo I heard throughout the NAR conference this past week in Las Vegas it was a need for real estate agents to return to the "basics!" As many speakers, brokers and other well thought of real estate professionals noted, agents need to get back to some of the fundamentals of salesmanship. Yes, our industry did enjoy several good years and because of this windfall, many people entered our business without having a clue of what selling was all about. Now that our market has cooled off, it's time to get serious and more focused on listing and selling real estate. To accomplish this requires a little bit of old fashion salesmanship.

I believe real estate brokers need to preach this to their team on a regular basis. For those who want to survive the tide, try some basics 101 Salesmanship and watch your business take off!

Fall = Business Planning

A reminder that Fall is a “great” time for real estate agents and brokers to begin thinking about 2008, and to develop, construct and revise their business plans. Recently I conducted a phone interview with Carla Cross (Business Planning Consultant and Expert) and she shared with me several interesting insights on business planning for real estate brokers/managers and their real estate agents. I would love to share this audio interview with any of our readers. Simply send me an e-mail to John@RealEstateSalesMeetings.com and I will forward you the link.

Visit Carla's site at www.CarlaCross.com for all of her great tools for business planning.

How Bad is the Real Estate Market?

I am beginning to hear many real estate agents finally talk about how bad the real estate market is. That’s not to say I haven’t heard the gloom and doom from offices and agents, but the talk of a bad has been spoken in some locations. There were always those few who insisted things were not really that bad, and that their business was actually up over last year. Now, reality has set in for most real estate agents that I come in contact with around the country. The funny thing is when you compare the economic conditions of today with those from the late 70s and early 80s; our real estate market today is not that bad. In fact one could say today's economic environment is quite attractive when compared to the early 80s. Back then, real estate professionals not only had to battle economic conditions of high unemployment rates and other inflationary items, but we also had to deal with high interest rates. I remember closing several real estate loans where interest rates were 17% and 18%. Today there are many properties for sell, and very few buyers. Back in the early 80s, there were not only a lot of properties for sale, but very high interest rates. You really couldn't blame buyers for not entering the real estate market in the 80’s because of the price to borrow funds. Today, we have low interest rates and a large supply of inventory which actually makes for a perfect buying environment for consumers. Unfortunately many of our homebuyers are staying away from the housing market because of the fear the news media has placed upon our country.

So my question is this; how do brokers and agents combat the bad media hype? First, I believe we should remind our agents that the real estate market is not as bad as it may appear to be. It's important to note that interest rates are still low, and buyers can get much more for their money than they could several years ago.

Brokers must also remember that now is the time to motivate their team and meeting on a regular or weekly basis for sales meetings is important. As a broker there are many avenues and sources for uplifting stories that can encourage and remind your staff that this too will pass.
Brokers need to spend more one-on-one training with their agents listening and discovering what areas of help these agents need. It's also a good idea for real estate agents and managers to begin to revise and look at their business planning. If an agent already has a business plan now is a good time to revise that plan. Real estate professionals should also begin to look at new ways they can make their businesses grow for the future. Revising action plans, setting in place checklists and systems as well as developing a marketing plan are all good items to consider when the market is slow.

Finally, agents should remember there is still business to be found even in a tight market. What I found to be prevalent in the early 80s was a weakening of the competitive forces in my marketplace. Many agents began to get discouraged or drop out of the real estate business and those who were willing to continue to work hard, prospect and look for new business were able to survive and make a good living. I'm reminded of my mother's comment that she always made around our real estate office: all sunshine makes a desert! So as I started the blog with a question; “How bad is the real estate market?” The answer could be, yes, it may not be the same kind of market we've experienced over the last few years, but overall and compared to other slow economic times in our Nation’s history, our real estate market is probably not that bad. Continue to encourage your agents to stay optimistic, to read positive books, listen to good motivational tapes and prospect for new business. If everyone will continue in that same vein, you're sure to weather the storm.

Sales Meetings

Are sales meetings essential for real estate office's? If so, how often do you feel brokers/managers should conduct real estate sales meetings and how long should a typical sales meeting last?

I have a passion for studying and researching sales meetings for the real estate office, and would love to hear what others have to say about this topic.

Why Should The Broker Use A BLOG?

The broker can benefit greatly by using the BLOG. One of those benefits is moving the Brokers Website to higher position on the Internet Searches. This is a part of the new Algorithm for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). We'll talk about this in a future article.

How can we continuously add articles to our BLOG and not be a full time job for the Broker? One way is to find out which agents in the office enjoy writing and then allow them the opportunity to write articles for the BLOG. Next thing is, what should be written about? This is the simple part. The agent wants to be known as the expert and what better way to show your expertise than writing articles. Talk about the Market Area, Preparing a House for Sale, Choosing an Agent, Financing Tips, to mention a few. There have been times when there have been negative reports that affect your market area that aren't true. You can use your BLOG to correct those negatives and bring in the positive. Give it a try.

The Broker needs to set an example for the rest of the office. By creating an Office BLOG, the Broker is setting the pattern for the agents in the office. The agents can start by writing articles for the office and then as they start their own BLOGS, they can use the articles in both the Broker’s BLOG and their own as well. The Broker could have incentives for the agents that write articles that produce the most comments.

Getting started in the BLOG world is very easy. Best of all, you can start with no investment other than your time. There are two BLOG engines that could be used and cost nothing. Later as you develop in expertise, you can transfer the BLOG to your own hosting company and still use the BLOG engine. The two engines that I’ll mention here are http://www.blogger.com/ and http://www.wordpress.com/. There are dozens of engines to choose from, but these will get you started very quickly and fit anyone’s budget. Today, there is no excuse not to have a BLOG. You’ll also find that it can be a lot of fun too!

by Dr. Eugene R Gibbins, ABR/M, AHWD, CIPS, CRB, CRS, e-PRO, GRI
DrEugene@Gibbins.com

What The Broker Needs To Know About Phishing!

A rapidly increasing problem among internet users today is Phishing. Brokers need to be prepared to deal with this issue, not only with their brokerages, but also to help educate their agents. In this article, I will be using “CompanyABC” for the name of some of the companies that used in Phishing e-mails. Note that the company names used are well known but have become innocent victims themselves. Some of these companies are CitiBank, PayPal, and Capital One to mention a few. Pay very close attention to your incoming e-mails and everyone will be happier.

What is Phishing?
Phishing is a form of fraud designed to steal your identity. It works by using false pretenses to get you to disclose sensitive personal information, such as credit and debit card numbers, account passwords, or Social Security numbers.
One of the most common Phishing scams involves sending a fraudulent email that claims to be from a well-known company. Phishing can also be carried out in person, over the phone, through fraudulent pop-up windows, and websites.

DEFINITIONS
Phishing (pronounced “fishing”): Fraudulent emails that request or initiate a scam to get sensitive personal information.
Spoof Site: Fraudulent sites – usually linked from a Phishing email – that look like well-known websites.

How Phishing through email works.
1. Mass Email
2. Phishing Email
3. Fraudulent Website

A fraudster will start out sending thousands, even millions, of emails to different mail accounts disguised as messages from a well-known company. The typical Phishing email will contain a concocted story designed to lure you into taking an action such as clicking a link or button in the email or calling a phone number. Learn how to spot a fraudulent email.

In the email, there will be links or buttons that take you to a fraudulent website. The fraudulent website will also mimic the appearance of a popular website or company. The scam site will ask for personal information, such as your credit card number, Social Security number, or account password.
You think you’re giving information to a trusted company when, in fact, you’re supplying it to a criminal. Learn how to spot a fraudulent website.

Questions A “CompanyABC” will never ask you in an email.
To help you better identify fake emails, “CompanyABC” follows strict rules. The “CompanyABC” will never ask for the following personal information in email:

Credit and debit card numbers Bank account numbers
Driver's license numbers
Email addresses
Social Security Number
Passwords
Your full name

Things to look for in scam email and websites.
Fraudulent email and websites are designed to deceive you and can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Whenever you get an email about your “CompanyABC” account, the safest and easiest course of action is to open a new browser, type https://www.a“CompanyABC”.com, and log in to your “CompanyABC” account directly. Do not click on any link in an email that requests personal information.

How to spot a Phishing email.

There are many telltale signs of a fraudulent email.

Sender's Email Address. To give you a false sense of security, the “From” line may include an official-looking email address that may actually be copied from a genuine one. The email address can easily be altered – it’s not an indication of the validity of any email communication.
Generic Email Greeting. A typical Phishing email will have a generic greeting, such as “Dear User.” Note: All A“CompanyABC” emails will greet you by your first and last name.
False Sense of Urgency. Most Phishing emails try to deceive you with the threat that your account will be in jeopardy if it’s not updated right away. An email that urgently requests you to supply sensitive personal information is typically fraudulent.
Fake Links. Many Phishing emails have a link that looks valid, but sends you to a fraudulent site that may or may not have an URL different from the link. Always check where a link is going before you click. Move your mouse over the URL in the email and look at the URL in the browser. As always, if it looks suspicious, don't click it. Open a new browser window, and type https://www.a “CompanyABC”.com.
Attachments. Similar to fake links, attachments can be used in Phishing emails and are dangerous. Never click on an attachment. It could cause you to download spyware or a virus. A “CompanyABC” will never email you an attachment or a software update to install on your computer.

How to spot a spoof (fraudulent) website.
A Phishing email will usually try to direct you to a fraudulent website that mimics the appearance of a popular website or company. The spoof website will request your personal information, such as credit card number, Social Security number, or account password. You think you are giving information to a trusted company when, in fact, you are supplying it to an online criminal.

Deceptive URLs.
Be cautious. Some fraudsters will insert a fake browser address bar over the real one, making it appear that you’re on a legitimate website. Follow these precautions: Even if an URL contains the word "A “CompanyABC”," it may not be a “CompanyABC” site.

Examples of fake addresses:
http://83.16.123.18/pp/update.htm?https://www."CompanyABC".com/=cmd_login_access.www.secure-"CompanyABC".com
Always log in to “CompanyABC” by opening a new browser and typing in the following:
https://www.a “CompanyABC”.com.

The term "https" should precede any web address (or URL) where you enter personal information. The "s" stands for secure. If you don't see "https," you're not in a secure web session, and you should not enter data.

Out-of-place lock icon.
Make sure there is a secure lock icon in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. Many fake sites will put this icon inside the window to deceive you.
Ways to combat scam email and websites.
Remember, when it comes to Phishing, you are in control. To protect your personal financial information, ignore the requests in the email.
Never provide any information.
Never click on any link that seems suspicious.

How to report a Phishing email.
The companies which are victims themselves, take online fraud seriously by investigating Phishing emails reported to them. PayPal is one of these companies. If you think you have a Phishing e-mail from PayPal follow these steps:

Forward the entire email to spoof@PayPal.com.
Do not alter the subject line or forward the message as an attachment.
Delete the suspicious email from your email account.
PayPal will let you know quickly if the email is legitimate.

A genuine PayPal email will never ask for:
Credit and debit card numbers
Bank account numbers
Driver's license numbers
Email addresses
Passwords
Your full name

A genuine PayPal email will never include:
Attachments
Software

More steps to protect you from Phishing.
Monitor your accounts. Check your account periodically for suspicious activity. If you notice unauthorized use, report it.
Keep security software current. Update your firewalls and security patches frequently.
Be smart about your password. Change passwords often and use unique passwords that include letters, numbers, and symbols.