At the International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla. last month, I had the chance to sit down with two authors who know a ton about generating customer loyalty. One was Jason Forrest, a sales trainer and coach whom I’ve known as a regular contributor to REALTOR® Magazine over the years.
At the International Builders’ Show earlier this month, I was lucky enough to meet up with Mina Starsiak at the Owens Corning booth on the expo floor. Starsiak—a licensed real estate pro and REALTOR®—and her real estate attorney mother, Karen E. Laine, have been rehabbing and selling homes in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis since 2007.
Think that FSBOs dread hearing from you? Think again. Studies show that nine out of 10 FSBOs eventually end up hiring an agent to sell their home. Yet, only 5 percent of real estate practitioners say they work with FSBOs — which means there’s an untapped market for you to grow your business.
Are you worth the commission you charge for representation?
As a real estate professional, you’re surely aware of how important it is to stay abreast of the trends that affect your business. I’m betting your browsing history is filled with housing stats, news about local business developments, and features on design trends, among other things.
A couple of weeks ago, we asked our readers for their scariest experiences in the field, and the horrifying stories poured in. We ran a few of the most frightening, but we can’t get enough. Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, and to stay in the “spirit” as long as we can, we’ve decided to bring you more of your fellow practitioners’ freakiest moments on the job.
It’s the witching month once again, and as Halloween approaches, now’s the time to tell tales of ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. But some scary stories aren’t fake — and real estate professionals have some of the creepiest real-life anecdotes.
To get in the spirit, we asked real estate professionals to share their creepiest stories from the field. Your clients may not want to know what’s lurking out there — at least until All Hallows’ Eve has passed — but these real estate tales of terror could be fun to share with colleagues, friends, and family during this spooky time.
Usually I try to point Book Scan readers to the written word, but occasionally I find a piece of audio worth recommending. Last time I pointed you toward a wonderful novel about a real estate agent, but this time I’m suggesting a podcast.
You have the best of intentions of choosing thoughtful, practical gifts. So why do all your clients get the same cheesy keyring with your contact information printed on it? In this world of overconsumption, who wants to clutter up their brand new house with useless tchotchkes?
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The Culture Scan blog explores the intersection of real estate, media, and popular culture. If you have an example of how culture plays a role in your real estate business, feel free to send story ideas to the REALTOR® Magazine team.
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