Rachel Rabinowitz

I’m in the real estate problem solving business. The majority of my transactions involve three real estate professionals; the listing agent, the selling agent and the referring agent.

I’m here on active rain for a variety of reasons, but none more significant than having an opportunity to network with other real estate professionals.

As an Auction-Realtor, I am often called upon by agents to provide an auction consultation to their clients. I truly value the trust and goodwill involved in this gesture. I hold myself to the highest professional standards.

I am well aware that I work in a part of the real estate industry that many people consider undesirable. Auction is a methodology. I am a Realtor that uses the auction method of sale to sell real estate. I began my professional training with The Sotheby's Institute in London over 10 years ago.

My policy for working in collaboration with other real estate agents is simple, I will honor your existing scheduled commission. Bringing me on board is at no loss of profit to you. Quite the opposite actually, because I'll sell the property in 30 days and I'll produce a list of prospective buyers that may have otherwise been unknown to you.

I've never had a single seller ask me to do anything less than sell their real estate for the highest possible price the market will yield.

I value and appreciate my working relationship with my fellow Realtors. Most of the time you and your clients are not going to need my services, however, when you do rest assured that I'm here to make it work - even the most challenging circumstances.

Just in case the house does not sell, can I be your plan B?

It’s official; I sold a listing in less than 24 hours via Facebook.

Specifically I shared (or “liked”) my own active rain blog post and it caught the eyes of the right person.

As we all know, it’s not quite that simple. There were a lot of pre-listing conversations. It took a few weeks to have the contents removed and the apartment cleaned. Next came the virtual floor plan tour.

Once that was all in place, I wrote this blog post:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2813163/estate-auction-condo-in-baltimore-s-tuscany-canterbury-neighborhood

It was an estate auction property, however the pre-auction offer was for significantly more than we anticipated and the buyer was able to close in two weeks.

Another remarkable detail? The property had been listed for over a year prior to being referred to me for auction.

As it is my practice, the referring agent was paid his full scheduled commission. There is no auction company more Realtor-friendly than my team.

Thank you to my active rain community for leading by example and helping me have that competitive edge. I’ve been with AR for 11 months, it just keeps getting better!

Last summer my friend Marcia brought me a few gifts from her garden including a small bouquet of “Rosemary to Remember”. With this gift she created a fun memory that keeps our get-together fresh in my mind, even six months later.

I had a great week in my real estate practice. I signed two new estate auctions and wrote a counter-offer for my luxury seller. I received leads from my SOI for four new properties throughout Maryland and I prepared for a settlement on Monday.

Reflecting in my library this morning I went over my actions last week, wanting to see what made it so especially productive. It seemed to meld together, all those phone calls, emails, and time in the car. What stood out is that I had 4 significant face-to-face meetings this week.

I had signed more business by meeting in person.

I had also (in some cases) asked for letters of recommendation - a move that I'm usually a bit shy about. That's right, by meeting in person I was no longer scoring field goals, it became a game of touchdowns.

All of my face-to-face meetings this week were at my clients or associates location. This involved a meeting over a kitchen table on a Saturday night, a conference room meeting with a Prudential agent in Washington DC, and a meeting at a gas station with a seller who could only squeeze in our appointment as he ran his business.

By making sure I was meeting with my client on their turf and under their terms, they were comfortable having extended conversations with me - which are critical to selling in today's turbulent market. These conversations also led me to having a deeper understanding of their needs. And guess what? These conversations also led to discussions about their other real estate projects.

Forget about creating the perfect email blast. Get out there and campaign for yourself. Shake hands and kiss babies. Do it with a smile and an air of calm. Ask someone to lunch. Drive that extra mile. Get together with your clients and associates in person.

It is the best way to say "you matter to me", and that is exactly the right way to sign great accounts and create future deals. Sign more business this year by meeting in person.

Is print advertising still part of the marketing plan for your real estate business? The irony is not lost on me that I am posing this question to an online real estate community. Specifically I am referring to print media that is used for prospecting and promotion of your business, not ads that you may take out to help sell your listings.

Do any of you use your print advertisements to promote your active rain blog? I bet you do. I’d love to hear about it.

For my first foray into print advertising, I selected a small pocket-sized niche publication from Baltimore County called the Valley Times.

Here’s my ad:

http://www.valleytimesonline.com/InThisIssue.html

So far I’ve ran this advertisement for 3 months, and it has led to one listing appointment – an appointment where I made the decision to turn down the business. Why? The person was one of those people who are mad at the world. I’ve never declined a client based on personality before, but I don’t regret it one bit.

In my print advertising I am trying to do two things;

First get my name out there.

Second try to convince Sellers to entertain an alternative strategy to sell their property.

So far so good. It seems that more people "have heard of me". This is probably from a combination of marketing efforts (including active rain).

Is print media still a good way to prospect for new clients?

For me the jury is still out. What do you think?

It was absolutely beautiful weather today here in Baltimore. It’s early January yet somehow the temperature soared to 65 degrees. I quickly came down with a case of spring fever. My mind turned to Sherwood Gardens in the Guilford neighborhood.

Outside my front door the entrance to the Guilford neighborhood beckons. It’s one of Baltimore’s grandest neighborhoods and it’s the perfect place for a Spring walk

My preferred route is to stroll up Greenway. It’s not a road or avenue or boulevard, it’s simply “Greenway” and it’s one of the nicest streets in Baltimore.

Quiet paths and stately gates connect remarkable residences to the sleepy city street. It’s hard to believe we are in the middle of Baltimore City. The houses are beautiful too, I’m just not showing them here to protect my neighbors privacy.

Greenway is lined with Parisian style streetlights. At dusk when the lights illuminate it is magic. Throw in some fireflies and it’s a perfect evening.

Sherwood Gardens is located on Greenway. Created in the 1920’s and maintained by the Guilford Association, “More than six acres in size, Sherwood Gardens has no gates, fences or other barriers. The public may stroll at leisure through the grounds. There is no admission charge and a reservation is not required.” (Guilford Association Website) http://www.guilfordassociation.org/sherwood/

It is simply one of the loveliest places in Baltimore City, come spring the Tulip beds are a sight to be seen! When I walk there in the evenings, I often see young couples taking their engagements pictures among the tulips. The pictures in this post were taken last August one afternoon when I had the place to myself.

I am so grateful to have this resource walking distance from my home, I am always inspired by the plantings.

Here is where we’ll end our walk, a quiet bench under a shady tree. Come to Baltimore and take a walk up Greenway to Sherwood Gardens. You’ll be enchanted by the sights and astounded by the real estate. I’ll see you there.