By Patty Boysen
I just returned back to work from my honeymoon and so much has changed since I have been gone! I drove in to work, put my flashers on and ran in to grab my parking pass that I had left at work for someone else to use while I was away. It was that moment that I decided to take a look around and see all of the new improvements that OwnACondo.com had made. I took a quick lap around our brand new office at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive to see that most of the boxes were unpacked, furniture was cleaned and pictures were hanging on the walls. I then hopped back in my car, parked it and entered back into work. Just as I sat down to start my day, my co-worker comes through the door. The questions that of course come out of my mouth right away was, “Hello, How are you?” and “What did I miss?”
After a short pause my co-worker says, “Oh, you didn’t hear what happened while you were away?” I said, “No, what?” He goes on further to say that I needed to get up right away and follow him to the conference room. Here I am thinking, oh maybe we got a new table or a new TV for the conference room or something.
As soon as I walk into the room, I immediately gasped! Yes, he explains someone drove into our conference room early Sunday morning. Needless to say there was glass everywhere, blinds broken, windows boarded up, and the bumper with the license plate on it. So my co-worker proceeds to say, nothing much really happened while you were away, just this small mishap!
So, just as OwnACondo.com gets the office spruced up and looking beautiful, a little surprise comes our way. This does not stop anything or anyone however, and work is resuming as usual. We are still recruiting and expanding all over the United States. Let’s just say, a car driving into our office doesn’t even stop us!
OwnACondo.com's very own Tami Theriault earned Silver Inner Circle honors from the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors® for her contribution to the Realtor® Political Action Committee (RPAC).
Although such a distinction might seem strictly of interest to co-workers and industry insiders, it's actually important to consumers, too. That's because of major issues that Realtors® are fighting for on behalf of not only themselves but for the home-buying consumer. Realtors® like Tami Theriault, through their RPAC donations, have worked tirelessly to preserve the mortgage interest deduction, address problems with banks and short sales, defeat new taxes and regulations on property transactions, and defeat ornerous proposals in Illinois to put municipalities in the role of land trusts. Although the real estate market is currently down, Realtors® and the RPAC are busier than ever defending the interests of consumers.
Tami Theriault has been a condo specialist Realtor® with OwnACondo.com since 2008. She helps people buy and sell condomniums, single family homes, townhouses and more. We're not at all surprised she advocates for her profession and the public at large. Good people always rise to the ocassion, and good people are what we like here at OwnACondo.com.
Realtor is the trademark used by the National Association of Realtors and designates that the person who has the Realtor designation has completed the required courses need to obtain a license in the state in which they wish to list and sell real estate and a member of the national organization. Becoming a Realtor is a career choice that is not to be taken lightly and if you are entertaining this career make certain you research all that is needed to be licensed and the costs involved.
Over the past several years most states have revised and updated their requirements to become a Realtor and practice real estate. Today most states require a certain number of hours instruction, passing the required state exam and paying the fees required by the National Association of Realtors, state and local fees. Once you have passed the state test you have just begun the journey on your new career. You must find a sponsoring broker in which to “hang” your license but it does not stop there. Being a Realtor will require you to join a Multiple Listing Service in your area if you want access to properties being sold or properties that you are trying to sell. This service exposes properties listed by real estate agents to their fellow agents and is where most people will look when interested in buying a home or condo.
Being a Realtor is a rewarding career that can take a lot of hard work but the satisfaction that you are in control of your own destiny and income makes it well worth the effort.
Moving is never easy and most of us hate to do it but for most of the moves we make we are not only moving our possessions but moving forward with our lives. Probably your first experience with moving was when you went to college. Remember how exciting it was to unload the car into your new apartment, meet your roommates and feel that excitement but also the uncertainty of being in a new place with new people. This most likely will be the first of many moves whether it is new job or just a move across town to a home more suited to your needs.
Moving into your first home or condo can be the most exciting move of your life. Moving your possessions is just a small part of making a move. The psychological aspect of moving can be both exciting and somewhat intimidating but it is an indication that you are moving forward with your life, career and maybe even family. We still look at owning our own home as one of the major goals of our lives giving us the satisfaction of a place we can call our own. That sense of satisfaction is what motivates many of us to move forward with life, family and career.
Moving can also mean moving your business as we have recently done. This also involves moving possessions but more importantly it is moving forward with your business life offering many more opportunities and relationships that can mean a step to a more rewarding and successful life.
The housing market has certainly had its challenges the last few years but that does not mean you will have to take a loss when selling your home or condo. The key is to be fully prepared and have a home selling plan before you put your home or condo on the market. What is your reason for selling? Are you truly motivated and committed? Have you thought through the process? If you aren’t committed you could be setting yourself up for disappointment and more importantly losing money.
When selling your home or condo set the pricing where it will sell and not stay on the market too long. Too many sellers make the mistake of thinking their home is worth more than what the market will bear. Remember your home is worth what someone is willing to pay. Preparing your home or condo for sale can mean the difference between the highest and best price to selling below market value. Make sure you repair obvious maintenance issues that have been neglected and give some serious thought before making improvements since not all repairs will pay off. Once the repairs and improvements have been made do some research about home staging. Home staging is simply putting your home’s best face forward for potential buyers as they view your home creating that feeling of a well maintained, pleasant place to call home. One last thing that many people selling their home or condo don’t think about is preparing net profit sheet based on a low price and high price. Have in mind what you want for your home or condo and be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.
Are you getting tired of your career and not making the kind of money you know you are worth. It may be time to give some serious thought to becoming a real estate agent. There are a lot advantages to becoming a real estate agent not only for the potential for income but the freedom allowed by “owning your own business”. Most real estate agents are independent contractors who work for a sponsoring broker which means they have much more freedom to set their schedules than working for a traditional type of company. Once you have made the decision to embark on your new career what are the next steps.
The first thing to consider is do you have the skills needed to be successful. The biggest obstacle to succeeding and making those large commissions are clients. To acquire clients you must be a people person who can communicate well and establish the trust needed to help them buy or sell their home. Real estate agents must also be timely and prompt. When you set up an appointment with a client be there on time or before because if you are consistently late you will be losing that trust in which your business depends. You must be dedicated to your new career and be ready to work hard. Real estate agents work long hours and have a commitment to their career that can require sacrifices. To minimize those sacrifices you must be disciplined and an expert at time management or run the risk of your career overtaking your life and the lives of your family.
So, do you have what it takes? Being a real estate agent can be a rewarding career as long as you realize the work and commitment it takes to be successful.
Homeownership has been a part of the American dream for as long there has been an America and the right of owning private property was first discussed by our founding fathers. It matters not only to people who set owning a home as their lifelong goal but to communities as well. Think about these statistics from an article from Houselogic published in February of this year. For every two homes sold, one job is created in the United States and each purchase can generate over $60,000 of economic activity over time.
Homeownership offers many benefits that can affect communities where high percentages of homeowners reside. Educational achievement is higher, homeowners take a more active role in their communities and the overall quality of life tends to be better. Homeownership creates jobs from the local hardware store to the kid who cuts your grass in summer and shovels your walk each winter.
The homeownership debate has been going on for decades but not more so than in recent times. The recent challenges facing the real estate market and mortgage industry have brought the idea of homeownership to the forefront again and the debate over the next few years will heat up even more. Many say homeownership is overrated and we might be better off as a nation of renters but talk with any homeowner and they will tell you the benefits far outweigh any negatives those on the opposing side offer. Homeownership is a part of our heritage, a dream most aspire to realize and last but not least the sense of pride we feel when we can call our home our own.
It is hard not to read the news or watch a news programs without something about government workers and the challenges they are currently facing. At one time or another, we've all complained about trying to provide information or get information from a government agency and the frustrations we feel. One thing we don’t often think of is what their job must be like.
When we think of government workers we often think of them in terms of lazy, not very motivated and just waiting for the day to end so they can punch out and go home. As with any type of job there are people like that and they can be found in every industry. But there are also those workers who are committed to their chosen profession and work hard to satisfy their customer-the general public.
Recently I had the experience of contacting one of our state agencies needing assistance in licensing several individuals for our real estate company. Initially I thought this would be a long, drawn-out process where I would be continually asked for more information and fall down the rabbit hole, never to be heard from again. To my surprise this government worker was pleasant and actually was genuinely interested in helping me. I explained the situation to her and what was needed. She proceeded to offer advice on how to expedite the process with limited documentation, helpful hints on how to properly fill out the required paperwork and where to send it to for processing. As I sat dumbfounded and a little embarrassed about what I was expecting just a few minutes before, she asked if I had any other questions or if she could be of further help, then to top it all off she actually said “thanks for calling and have a nice day." Next time you need assistance from one of our government workers take a different attitude. You might be surprised with the results.
What do customers want? Satisfied customers, no matter what type of business you are in is the key to success. Any business to be successful must stand out offering the best customer service and creating satisfied customers over their competition without regard to price. When your focus is on price and price alone there will always be someone out there who will beat you. Extensive research has been done and customers will put service ahead of price, if given the chance.
Many people in the real estate business believe price is the only motivation when working with buyers. Nothing is further from the truth and the most successful real estate agents who have made their living selling real estate will tell you satisfied customers are what it is all about. Securing customers for the long term is how many businesses survive even in the toughest of economic times. But why do some businesses prosper and others fail? Research shows there are five areas that keeps customers satisfied.
- Knowledgeable and available staff-accurate information when they want it by people who know what they are talking about.
- Friendly people-not only savvy sales people but value each customer more than an individual sale.
- Good value-price is only one component and not the most important.
- Convenience-make it easy!
- Fast finish-once buying decision is made complete the transaction and follow up.
If you give people what they want, the way they want it, follow through with a fast finish, you are much more likely to turn them into satisfied customers and your business will flourish.
One of the reasons so many new Realtors® join OwnACondo.com is the great training we offer. Training new agents is among our highest priorities.
Just this afternoon, members of OwnACondo.com's training team met to expand our training and offer much more of it online, where it can be utilized by busy professionals from virtually any convenient location they wish.
Already, OwnACondo.com offers some pretty powerful and compelling training to help Realtors®, newly licensed and veterans. Consider the following categories that we already offer and will be expanding immediately:
- Orientation
- All About Condos
- Buyers Agency
- Sales Skills
- Social Networking
- Technology
- Lead Management
- Legal Compliance
- Buying REOs
- Email Marketing
New or substantially expanded categories for training new agents are already in the works and will be introduced within the next 30 days. They include:
- Real Estate Boot Camp
- Social Networking
- Real Estate Auctions
- Buying HUD Homes
- Goal Setting and Accountability
- Buying REOs
- Internet Security
- Going Paperless
- Short Sales
- Generational Marketing
The goal, of course, is to provide OwnACondo.com agents the best tools possible to conduct their business and make closings. Especially with the challenges that exist in the current market, there can be no stone left unturned, no opportunity left unexplored, to help people earn their living and provide our customers with the very best experience from any real estate company.
Training new agents with the best available information and demonstrating to them a culture of constant learning and advancement, both professional and personal, is how we do business at OwnACondo.com. If you'd like to learn more about the OwnACondo.com Advantage, be sure to contact us. Just click the link in that previous sentence.
