Tag Archives: real estate training

Oct. 17.

Real Estate Topics To Blog About

By Midori | Posted in Real Estate, Social Media |
Comments (2)

Search 150x150 Real Estate Topics To Blog AboutPeople often ask me what the heck should I blog about to attract real estate buyers and sellers?  Put yourself in a consumers shoes and think about the important information that a buyer or seller needs to make the decision of buying or selling a home in a specific area.  What would you look for to make such a drastic change in your life?

Depending on your niche should help you determine the best blog topics to attract buyers and seller within your specialty.  That means if you are targeting the luxury home market you want to blog about things that appeal to luxury home buyers.

Real Estate Topics To Blog About

  • The dos and don’t of buying or selling a short sales and foreclosures
  • Notables and celebrities who live in your area and are selling or buying a home.
  • The steps in finding a home
  • Your hot new listing of the week
  • What new in the area 
  • School achievements
  • CNN/Money Mag rankings of your city or town
  • Mortgage and tax information
  • New home developments
  • Specific neighborhoods
  • Dog parks in the area
  • Water parks in the area
  • Wifi locations in the area 
  • Favorite places such as farmers markets, museums
  • Market Reports
  • Steps in selling a home
  • Investments, Investors and Investing
  • Hiring the right REALTOR
  • Questions consumers ask
  • Your specialties
  • Your farm area
  • Inspections, appraisals and the mortgage process
  • Home staging, clearing the clutter and increasing your chances of selling
  • Local Businesses and experiences
  • Interview local people, city officials, veterans, teachers and business owners
  • Happenings meaning special events..most cities have monthly events such as baseball games, parades, fairs etc.
  • Nite life, schools, family activities, clubs, organizations and houses of worship
  • Historical sites…every city has them
  • Important phone numbers and information such as the post offices, electric, water, cable, police..etc..etc.
  • Important tax information and changes
  • Real Estate Law changes
  • Home Owners Associations, Condo Associations and city and county home owner’s regulations
  • Recycling, charities, schools, parks, vacation spots, beaches and lakes and rivers, local news, your affiliates, hobbies, things you do
  • Properties that you have sold
  • Homes that sold for the day or week in a specific neighborhood that you farm
  • Things you enjoy about your neighborhood and your area.
  • Things to do with the kids
  • Great places to dine whether it is casual dining or fine dining. 

Get local and break it down based on state, county, city, zip code and neighborhood.  Bottom line is to provide area information and become the go to person for real estate and your local area.  Now that you have an idea on what topics to blog about…what are you waiting for?  Go for it!  If you found this useful please subscribe and request blog posts in your email!  

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Nov. 11.

Verbal Offers, I Don't Want To Waste Your Time! Guess What You Just Did!

By Midori | Posted in Uncategorized |
Comments (3)

I’ve been in real estate since the early 90′s..and one thing is certain..I have seen agents attempt to reinvent the wheel…I don’t mean marketing…I mean the basics..I mean in presenting offers..rejected Verbal Offers, I Don't Want To Waste Your Time! Guess What You Just Did!

Without a contract
Without a deposit
Without the terms

Only words and you think your doing your customer a service?

How about mine?  See I thought the intent was to sell a house..if that is the case give your customer a fair shot at it.

Without a verbal offer but in writing, a written offer.  An offer they can visually see via sales contract.

With a commitment which means a deposit and how do you expect a seller to respond without terms.

Think about this….

  • Have you ever presented a verbal offer and then the buyer changes their mind?  Now what?  I guess you got some splaining to do!
  • Do banks accept verbal offers?  NO so don’t expect me working on a short sale to do different. You can’t get the buyer to commit long enough to submit a written offer, maybe you should go back and screen them once again.
  • If a buyer find a home worthy for themselves and their families don’t you think they deserve a fair shot at being a homeowner?  It happens a written offer comes in the same time a verbal is given..which do you think a real estate seller is going to take serious?
  • Just how many verbal offers have been miscommunicated for it to never ever turn into a sales contract?  Then the verbal turns into nothing..Nada..zilch..and you don’t want to waste my time?  How about yours or your buyer’s?
  • What about negotiations, don’t you think you might negotiate easier with proof of a very serious ready, willing and able buyer?  People are visual!  Hello
  • If you are working for your customer, there are times…they are incorrect..its those hard to have conversations that may turn a verbal offer into a written contract.

Pen by Galagonya5 Verbal Offers, I Don't Want To Waste Your Time! Guess What You Just Did!Its our job to explain why it’s important to get our offers in writing and just because your customer (a buyer) wants you to present the offer verbally, I have to ask is this a service or dis-service?

If they hired you, why not have the guts to explain the pitfalls in verbal offers?

The next time someone calls me and states, “I don’t want to waste your time..

I might have to fire back..you just did!” How about you?  Do you present verbal offers? Why?

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Jun. 16.

Social Network Sites Vs. My Blog

By Midori | Posted in Business |
Comments (4)

Sometimes I lack discipline in regards to writing..can’t stand talking to myself but more importantly I have something to say and I want it to be heard…I admit I like an audience and the interaction.

human behind the avatar 300x268 Social Network Sites Vs. My Blog

I long for more connections…prefer word of mouth marketing over the hard sell and that is a big reason why I love social networking.

For many of my brilliant real estate friends..they started their own blogs years ago…and I stuck with social networking.   Some questioned…some shook their heads and some thought maybe she doesn’t have a clue.

Little did people know..I trained agents just the opposite…get your own blog going...even if its just photos… because the down side of social networking sites are:

  • You can spend countless hours of socializing without making a dime.
  • There is sometimes too much drama on social networks
  • Eventually you will have to pay and it will be difficult to give up.
  • You are creating additional traffic to a site that does not belong to you.
  • For some social networks… there seems to be a certain mindset and if you do not agree…you can and will get into heated battles.

I didn’t really look at it in this light…because I love people!

The upside of social networking sites are tremendous if you are social and many of these benefits would include:

  • Growing your sphere of influence
  • Referral Business
  • Like Minds
  • Several pats on the back and sometimes several slaps.
  • Endless Opportunities

I can’t say that I have been anti-social these days…just socializing very different.  I admit…time is money…including the time I spend on social network sites and the time I spend in my business.

For the past few months I have been working on my own blog…its just little Ole me and the computer scientist honoring my request for changes in my template…added tools and features.

I can honestly say…I really love my own personal blog even if it gets a little lonely…but it hasn’t been lonely at all.  It’s a myth…there is the big bold blogosphere out there…and many people globally want to connect.  I admit its an amazing feeling…when someone contacts to me outside of my social network sites and social circles.

Now with the responsibility to drive traffic to my own site..I am working quite differently..

  • Studying SEO and using the correct tags and key words.
  • With moderating every one of my comments
  • And watching the numbers closely on technorati and alexa
  • Posting more frequently here than anywhere else
  • Managing my time it takes to write each post

So in comparing social network sites vs. my own blog…the social network sites that I belong to are just that...my social network sites…

As for my own blog…its really not that different as a matter of fact it has become quite social…..it seems to generate more emails…phone calls from total strangers outside of the real estate realm.

I admit I got another call from a first time homebuyer today..yeah baby..I’m on a roll!  And when I asked them where did they find me…it wasn’t my social networks it wasn’t my site…

It was google…and my own personal map using the words..Daytona Beach Real Estate Agent..and then it lead them to my real estate website…my social networks…and then to this blog… and the proof is in the pudding…by connecting all of these sources my little blog…has become quite a social network and very social!

Contributing Writer: Midori Miller is a Real Estate Trainer and writes and trains Real Estate Training and assists sellers in short sale situations.  Midori is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker , License # BK645709 at CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty and a member of the Daytona Area Association of REALTORS.

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Jun. 03.

Nameless in Real Estate?

By Midori | Posted in Business |
Comments (3)

Ever been called hun or sweetie while trying to perform your job?  Personally I do not like.  But sometimes there is no other choice for a customer because some opt not to wear a name tag.

midori miller nametag1 300x196 Nameless in Real Estate?

I personally do not enjoy name tags..back in the retail days we all wore name tags and many of us tried not to wear them.

In retail, name tags are as important as wearing shoes and if you didn’t wear one..sometimes you were sent home!

After leaving retail I attempted to be rebellious: “I AM NOT WEARING A NAME TAG! NEVER AGAIN!” I threw it away….Celebrating my departure from retail being nameless…without anyone knowing my name.   So when I started my real estate career…I opted not to wear one..

Being in front of the public and being a no name..I noticed a couple of things would happen people would refer to me as hun or sweetie and sometimes when talking with people I would have to  repeat my name over and over again..

For a very long time I had a nameplate on your desk.   Why?  Was the public going to see that?

I spent thousands each month getting my name out…with postcards..and ads and my website…yet I was stubborn, by not wearing a name tag did it hurt me?  Yes it did.

I slowly figured it out…the name tag wasn’t for me but for the people I wanted to do business with.

For such a small investment with so much value. I ordered a name tag and before I knew it I had a few.

I started to notice a few things…

People would look directly at it.. My name is unique, I would have to repeat my name about 3 times with the customer….spell it for them and let them know Midori is a common Japanese name and it means green. Then I would point at my name tag.

Usually standing in line…fine dining and wearing the name tag..people would start real estate conversations with me..and at the end sometimes I would find a phone number in my hand.

For some reason the public finds name tags as official.

Ever been out in public for someone to notice you because you farm their neighborhood and they want to say something to you but they are not positive it’s you? Then all of a sudden they walk up and introduce themselves and tell you I wasn’t sure if that was you until I read your name tag. It has happened to me over and over again!

Don’t be rebellious…just pin and go..its one of the most affordable, useful marketing tools..just ask yourself this question.  Can you really afford a missed real estate conversation or lost opportunity?

Contributing Writer: Midori Miller is a Real Estate Trainer and writes and trains Real Estate Training and assists sellers in short sale situations. Midori is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker , License # BK645709 at CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty and a member of the Daytona Area Association of REALTORS.

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May. 05.

Important Information Provided by Prisoners-Stay Safe!

By Midori | Posted in Business |
Comments (2)

I urge you to take the time and read this, if I were attacked before reading this I would have made a few mistakes.

This information was provided by rapists and date rapists currently in prison. How, what and why they pick their victims.

  • Hairstyle- Woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed.  Rapist are likely to go after a woman with long hair.  Women with short hair are not common targets.  Still be careful!
  • Clothing-They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly, they are smart they carry scissors.
  • Cell-phones- They look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.
  • Mornings- Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.
  • Location-They look to grab a woman and move her to another location where they don’t worry about being caught.
  • Weapons-Only 2% carry weapons, rape carries 3-5 years but rape with a weapon 15-20.
  • Fight-If you fight at all, they get discouraged, why, it’s time consuming.
  • Scream-Don’t cry for help, yell FIRE!
  • Umbrellas and similar objects-Be careful they will use these weapons against you!

Getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

  • Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
  • If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
  • Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back where you are coming from.
  • We are too sympathetic: STOP! Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of women. He walked with a cane, and often asked “for help.”

Great Advice…. Please Listen and Pay attention:

  • If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage, elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and small talk, “what time is it?” or make general small talk: Now you’ve seen their face and could identify them in a line-up.
  • If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK!
  • If you carry pepper spray, yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
  • If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can be smarter. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD.
  • Someone used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands – the guy needed stitches.
  • After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause trouble.
  • If a guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible.
  • Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. Use it!
  • If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away from you….chances are that he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
  • If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will.
  • Women have a tendency to get into their cars after completing errands and just sit doing something else,  DON’T DO THIS! The predator could be watching you. When you GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
  • If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and hit something that would wreck the car. Your Air Bag will save you. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run.

Please feel free to add to this list….we can never play it too safe…….

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