Lindsay Hart, @ RE/MAX In Motion,

I don't know if this is just a phenomenon or is a proven fact but if you want to drum up business just take a vacation.

In my case it's true. I had been planning my Southern Caribbean cruise for a year - yes one full year - even before I knew I was transitioning from manager to agent. So I guess that lends some credibility to the theory of real estate and vacations.

Anyway, I was in the office taking care of last minute details and getting ready to leave for my week long holiday in the Caribbean, two Friday's ago, in the office, I got a phone call. My first floor call - it was a good one. She was pre-approved, knew what she wanted, I explained agency and how I could represent her as a buyer's agent... she chose me, just like that. Yippee! My first buyer. Of course it happened that way, I was getting ready to leave that evening! So I set up an appointment and had my teammate show her the property that weekend.

I've seen it before and now I've experienced it. If you want to drum up business, take a vacation....

I suggest the Southern Caribbean... see for yourself.

HAPPY SELLING!

I'm so excited... I'm finally "in"...

I've been in real estate for 3 and a half years... I've been busy behind my desk, growing, promoting and making my office - RE/MAX In Motion in Ithaca NY - more efficient. I've heard it all well at least a lot of it. I've assisted REALTORs with their transactions, I've played facilitator in order for processes to move along more quickly... yadda yadda yadda. In those threen and a half years I was able to obtain my NY state real estate license and was sent to a referral network in order to continue my work behind the desk.

AND NOW... the time has come. The suspense must be killing you.... drum roll please. (can you tell this might be kind of a big deal to me?)

I'm a fully active, full time real estate salesperson with the Ithaca Board of Realtors! No more dedicated office hours, no more answering the reception phone...etc. I'm actually enjoying getting to write my first blog via a coffee shop as I wait to head out on Realtor Inspections.

I'm bursting at the seams and the starting gates cannot hold me - I'm ready for 2009 and I'm ready to put all those years of learning and picking up on the nuances of the business to work. I can't wait to see what happens.

I'm sure I'll hit road bumps, blocks and pot holes along the way but I'm determined not to let that get me down. Luckily the bumps and bruises will be softed as I am starting out on this newer real estate path with a team. I've got great support behind me and experience.

So 2009 here we grow! Check us out... www.MelissaMillerTeam.com

2009 is going to be a good year for real estate in Tompkins County. Despite what the national, doom and gloom media has been touting, real estate is still an excellent long term investment! In particular, 2009 will be a good year for buyers, thus it will be a good year for sellers!

Sellers: If you are serious about selling, then this is the year to do it! Buyers are out there and they are on the prowl; if you are positioned correctly - your house in priced correctly, shows nicely, and is marketed smartly - you can expect great results!

Some tips:
Make sure it's competitively priced! When it's priced right it will sell more quickly and closer to the asking price than if it sits on the market for months and months at a non-competitive price.

Make sure your home is spruced up so it shows favorably - first impressions are everything!

Buyers: 2009 is showing us that real estate inventory is plentiful & diverse and interest rates are still low! If you are on the fence just think about this...
Do you think that prices have come down and are competitive again? {yes?} Do you think homes will continue to appreciate in value? {yes?}
So, then, it's actually okay to be out buying again? :-)


Just remember this...

Sellers: There are buyers out there, waiting and watching, make sure you are positioned to be in front of them.

Buyers: Why wait? Find a 'best buy' and get while the gettin's good.

RE/MAX is the United State's No. 1 real estate franchise - and the nation's No. 44 franchise overall - according to Entrepreneur magazine's 30th Annual Franchise 500 survey.

The survey appears on the magazine's Web site and in its January 2009 issue.

Subway bested McDonald's to capture the top position overall. Behind No. 2 McDonald's came Liberty Tax Service at No. 3.

Among real estate franchises, RE/MAX ranks No. 1 for the ninth time in the past nine years. The closest competitor - Keller Williams - came in at a distant No. 71.

RE/MAX ranks No. 10 overall in the Low-Cost Franchises category. It finished No. 1 last year.

Additionally, RE/MAX tops all real estate competitors at No. 38 on the Global Franchises list.

RE/MAX has a long, successful history in the survey. It ranked No. 10 overall a year ago, No. 11 in 2007, No. 8 in 2006, and No. 10 in 2005.

All companies in the rankings are judged by the same criteria, the most important being financial strength and stability, size and growth rate. Also considered: number of years in business, length of time franchising, start-up costs, litigation, percentage of terminations and financing options.

The factors are plugged into a Franchise 500 formula, with each eligible company receiving a cumulative score.

A double whammy today in the world of real estate in upstate New York - it's Friday afternoon AND we are being blanketed with 8-14 inches of snow as I sit here and type this. It's quite beautiful out... if you don't have to drive!

So this shaken up snow globe that we have going on outside coupled with the fact that the holidays are right around the corner and it's Friday afternoon... yes you can imagine because of those circumstances it's 'dead' today. In fact I'm the only one in the office right now (I've got 4 wheel drive, & snow tires).

So that brings me to my point ---

It's a GREAT day for business planning! 2009 is only 2 weeks away (yikes!) and for some of us that means dusting off the 2008 plans to update them or creating brand new ones for '09.

Interestingly enough, I did a quick survey of agents in the office and about half of them don't use a business plan! They prefer to go with the flow. To me, that's scarier than driving in all this snow with people who don't know how to drive in the snow (like Cornell Univ & Ithaca College kids from the south).

I digress...

Anyway, at slow times, if and when I find myself, aimlessly wandering, so to speak, my plan keeps me on track and provides an outline of tasks, calls, mailings, etc - basically keeps me focused on my goals. I need that anchor.

So, as I sit here, quietly, I've finished my 2009 business plan and boy am I looking forward to next year and what it will bring!

Which one are you? Do you go sans business plan?

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!