Jennifer Lew

While talk of a dwindling housing market continues, the real estate industry becomes more competitive. As a result, real estate professionals must respond with greater flexibility than ever and adopt a wider span of marketing and selling tactics. The good sign is that while the economy is weak, Americans remain surprisingly confident about the housing market. According to the 2008 National Housing Pulse Survey conducted by NAR, 85% of respondents believe that buying a home is a good financial decision, down only 2% from last year. And two-thirds of Americans believe that now is a good time to buy a home, which has gone up nearly 12% from 2007.

So where you do capture these interested home buyers? Many of you have turned to the Internet and social media networking (ie: ActiveRain), and for good reason. In a survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors in 2007, 84% of home buyers use the Internet to search for homes, which have gone up from 80% in 2006. While I don't have data for 2008, my gut tells me that this percentage would've only gone up. Furthermore, 82% of home buyers who used the Internet to search for a home purchased through a real estate agent. So if buyers most commonly begin their search online, where do you think YOU should be?

Most of you spotted this transition awhile back and have already shifted your focus in order to stay competitive. Based on a recent survey conducted by LORE Magazine, real estate agents are shifting their spending to online resources. 48% of agents are investing in website enhancements, while 47% are spending on technologies that include lead generation and customer relationship management systems. For 2009, 69% of agents plan to continue increasing their spending online.

What are your thoughts on the 2009 housing market? And what other strategies do you have in place to ensure a successful year?

I'm sitting at my desk here in the office when an epiphany of human evolution dawns on me. Even though we were not there to experience the beginning of time, we have this wonderful thing called "history" that replays for us what life for the first humans looked like 2 billion years ago.

Think about the long way we've come! Evolving from dense-minded homo sapiens, where language was comprised of crude sounds and stick figures, we've evolved into well-mannered, cultured professional human beings. Did you know that there are over 6700 languages worldwide? We've developed intelligence, vanity and countless skill-sets. We've built cities, technology and the list goes on... We've created both great and horrible things, and at least they all have names and we have the ability to judge whether they're good or bad.

If you ever feel discouraged, I think it's time to commend ourselves for the long way we've come. Some may arguably say that the simpler life back in the day is better, but here we are and we should make the most of what we have. Whether we've had a good or bad day, we should pat ourselves on the back and strive on making tomorrow even better!

Santa Claus and Rudolph are popping up on shelves. The holidays are slowly creeping up on us! For those of us who are accustomed to giving gifts, it's time to start planning. This is when things get tough. What do you get for business clients, associates and partners? While it has to be within budget and appropriate, you also want it to be personalized and thoughtful.

In my opinion, the best gifts send a message that you've been paying attention to them and remember what matters to them. It doesn't have to be expensive. For example, you give your client a baseball cap of his favorite sports team or a book of her favorite author because you guys had a conversation about it a while back. And it doesn't matter that the gift is generic, like a bottle of wine or gift certificate, as long as it's personalized. For example, you give your mortgage lender a bottle of his favorite Pinot Noir or certificate to her favorite restaurant.

Unfortunately, my ideas are limited, which is another reason why I am writing this blog. I was hoping to get some ideas from you guys out there. What are your favorite, maybe creative or unique, gifts that you love to hand out?

As our US presidential debates heat up over topics like tax cuts, pro-choice and foreign policy, there are countries that are fretting over things you'd be fairly surprised about. Let's take Singapore, for example. As a result of declining birthrate, the government has been funding campaigns targeted to increase reproduction. A separate body of the government called the "Social Development Unit" has even been inaugurated to drive this.

Such campaigns include academic courses that encourage youth to date, fall in love and teach them how to maintain relationships. Couples with more than 2 children are provided with cash bonus incentives. In addition, there are matchmaking programs like tea dances, wine tastings, clooking classes, cruises and screenings of romantic movies.

It's quite an eye-opener to hear of another country strugging with problems so different than our own, and how diplomatically they are tackling them. Now wouldn't it be great if we could redistribute and balance out population with many of the overpopulated countries?

As our economy continues to take a downward spiral, the retail segment is taking one of the hardest hits. As a result, I've seen a great hike in marketing efforts. For example, I've been bombarded by Macy's catalogues and coupons in the mail every other day. Merchadising displays at retail stores are dominated by glittery red sales and clearance signs that cry out to consumers, "take me home with you!"

On a different note, I've also seen elevated creativity by retailers in attempts to emulate competitors and draw business into their doors. There is no better time than now where Darwinism rings true-- it is survival of the fittest. This is a time where corporate strategy, refined business models and the ability to adapt to change will make or break a company.

I worked at Starbucks for a couple years, witnessing the campany both at its peak of glamour as well as its sudden downturn. In fact, the store I managed is one of the 600 stores to be closed. A company that has only experienced growth-- that only knows of success--is in shock to be now faced with challenge and uncertainty. There was, and still is, great internal turmoil as the coffee giant struggles to regain balance in this faltering economy. But in the end, what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

I can't help to point out that Costco and Starbucks are joining forces to conquer these difficult times. Going on right now, if you buy a set of five $20 Starbucks giftcards at selected Costco outlets, you only pay $80. The $20 you save is equivalent to 4 grande vanilla lattes. And don't forget that if your Starbucks card is registered, you save on your vanilla syrup as well.

For those of us that shop at Costco and Starbucks, it's not a bad deal. I can appreciate the measures taken by some of these retailers. They realize that in order to win our business, they must provide real value for every dollar we spend.