Stella Barbour - Principal Broker Serving Virginia and Maryland

I was wondering last week how fast I could get to the 100,000 point mark because I was just a 1000 points away, and there it was, I forgot about the contest points and I was over the 100,000 hump. I never thought I would reach the 100,000 mark because it seemed so far away. Well it is done.

I am one that doesn't make the points a priority, I have always been in it to increase my real estate knowledge. I joined Active Rain when I first became an agent just by surfing the internet looking for real estate advice and tips since I was a new agent and I found Active Rain. Back then it was free so I joined and it has been a part of my real estate business ever since. I have found that Active Rain Members offer a lot of information and helpful tips in increasing business and staying on top of changes, and much more. It is such a great community of people and I have always enjoyed to be a part of.

Thanks Active Rain!

In the morning when I go through my Leads in my email, I would print them out and put them in my lead folder and on the the back of each sheet, make my notes as I follow up and then carry my folder around in my briefcase in case someone from the list would call.

It is hard to remember who everyone is and when answering the phone after they announce themselves, I would have to find my folder, pull it out, go through 50-100 pages looking for the lead sheet to see who they are and what they are looking for and their reason for contacting me.

Well, this was not working for me and when someone from the sheet would call, I want to them to know I already know what they are looking for from their previous email.

So I had to get smarter about this and more efficient. So I came up with a spreadsheet on excel that included their name, phone number, email, what their reason for contacting me, and the status. I update the sheet every time their is a change and print out a new sheet and carry in my purse with me. When someone from the list contacts me then I can easily pull out the sheet and answer, "Yes, Mr. Jones, I will be sending you properties with 3 bedrooms in your area today, all I need is an email address as previously stated in my message to you yesterday around 4:00 pm, right after I received an email from you requesting homes with 3 bedrooms in your area." They are usually surprised you remember small details about their contact to you and you have a better chance in changing them from a lead to a buyer. Then it goes to a different sheet . . .

Off the lead sheet and straight into the client sheet . . . Result, New Buyer.

This post is inspired by an Active Rain contest

Eliminating Inefficiences in your Real Estate Business

See link below to be a part of something great and getting wonderful ideas to improve your business!

http://actvra.in/wxG

It is time to start thinking about getting things ready for another great year in Real Estate. Usually before the end of the year, I start planning some new things before the spring market and while I am shopping for the holidays, cooking for the holidays, I am still thinking Real Estate and how can my business grow and what can I do to improve. Every year we have to improve something otherwise we don’t grow. I try to come up with 5 new ways to advertise this year that I did not do the previous year to attract new prospects. So this year I thought I would share some ideas with everyone

1. If you are trying to prospect short sales, then look up upcoming foreclosure sales in the local paper and send them a note asking if you can help them in any way. There is always ways to stop a foreclosure, including bankruptcy and sometimes if you just pick up the phone and ask the bank (80% of the time they say yes) so that there is time to sell their home and keep them in the home longer especially through the winter while you sell it. No one wants to move out in the winter, but banks don’t care if someone is left out in the cold (literally) so we have to care.

2. If you are attempting to get expired listings, then check for them daily, and send the prospect a postcard letting them know that you would like to give their home sale a try. Most of the time, people just want someone different (even though the previous agent probably did everything they could).

3. After the Holidays are over, people are thinking of the new year so it is a good time to send out calendars (have your picture somewhere on the calendar) to some of your favorite neighborhoods then after those are sent out, either by mail or hand deliver, then be seen in the neighborhood, drive around with your sign on your vehicle so people know you exist, waive to people outside, show your face, talk to people, and they may remember that you sent them a calendar and you may get a call.

4. Organize your database. Send out Christmas cards to your old clients and let them know referrals are always the best gift and this is a time of giving.

5. Bake some cookies and put them in tins and take them to businesses near your business so they know you are right around the corner. Drop off some cookies with a list of real estate services you provide including short sales, and let them know you are always looking for referrals and you love staying busy during the Winter. You never know, they may remember that someone they know needs an Agent.

Well there you have it, 5 new ideas that I came up with pretty quickly. I am sure that everyone could add to this and we could come up with a great list of ways to improve business to help everyone improve. We should all be doing well in this business if we put some effort into it. The more effort the more success we will have.

I wish everyone much success this year and every year after.

I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL FROM SOMEONE WHO HAD HIRED MARILYN SCHEER LAW GROUP IN IRVINE CALIFORNIA, (the caller is and has property in MD) TO COMPLETE THEIR LOAN MODIFICATION.

HOMEOWNER GAVE THE MARILYN SCHEER LAW GROUP $3500 TO ATTEMPT A LOAN MODIFICATION AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. ALMOST A YEAR HAS GONE BY. HOMEOWNER CALLED BANK AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM THIS LAW GROUP.

HOMEOWNER CALLED THE MARILYN SCHEER LAW GROUP AND ASKED FOR HER MONEY BACK AND WAS TOLD THAT SHE FORFEITED HER REFUND BY CONTACTING THE BANK THEMSELVES.

WHAT?????? ARE YOU KIDDING. WHAT A TOTAL SCAM THAT IS.

I SENT THIS CALLER DIRECTLY TO HER FBI FIELD OFFICE TO FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT. IF OTHERS HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS LAW GROUP, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FBI FIELD OFFICE AND EXPLAIN THE SITUATION TO THEM. IF NO ONE COMPLAINS, NOTHING GETS FIXED.

I HAVE HAD AT LEAST 10 CALLS FROM PEOPLE THAT HAD GIVEN MONEY UP TO $5000 TO THIS FIRM AND HAD NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED.

THERE ARE TONS AND TONS OF BAD REVIEWS ON THE INTERNET PERTAINING TO THIS FIRM. PLEASE CHECK THE COMPANY OUT BEFORE GIVING LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY.

AND IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT IS.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Since I decided to get my Broker's license, I decided it was time to go on my own. My new Brokerage is called:

I am really excited to finally be doing this as this has been long overdue.