By Lisa Schultz
Pinterest is an excellent platform to build relationships with prospective clients and promote your business. If you’re already a Pinterest user, you might have noticed messages and emails letting you know you can now add a map to your Pinterest boards. If you haven’t tried “Place Pins” yet, now is the time to start. These pins are quick and easy to create, and can add immense value to your profile.
By Gino Blefari
This week, while working from California, (average temperature, 85 degrees) I was reviewing Real Living’s Premier Service® 2014 National Customer Satisfaction Results, and I’m happy to announce that for a seventh consecutive year, our Real Living agents scored a 96% customer satisfaction rating, significantly exceeding the industry average. This number speaks to the strength of Real Living’s customer service culture and its hard-working brokers and agents but it also gets to the heart of an issue that must always be top-of-mind for all leaders across any industry: service.
By Lynn Minnick
A few years ago, after binge-watching 30 Rock on Netflix, I reflected upon the lessons Tina Fey taught me that applied to my real estate career. Today, it’s Amy Poehler’s turn, through her unforgettable Parks and Recreation character, Leslie Knope.
Leslie helps to inspire my business in several ways:
By Anthony Turco
It’s that time again — the time real estate agents around the country anxiously await all summer and winter long: the spring buying season.
By Todd Waller
Last week, I wrote about historically low levels of inventory experienced in real estate markets around the country and how the lack of properties might affect buyers. Today, I want to talk about what this market condition means for sellers, especially as we remain in a “seller’s market” heading into spring.
As frustrating as lack of inventory can be for buyers, it sounds like a great time for sellers, doesn’t it? Well, when it comes to the final sales price and the time on market, you would be generally correct. But there is one little thing called convenience and it can quickly become an issue.
By Gino Blefari
“Now the first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockton to Boston. The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting, with ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.” – James Taylor, Sweet Baby James, 1970
Last week, my travels took me to the magnificent Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Connecticut to attend the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties Awards and Service celebration hosted by president and CEO Candace Adams and her fantastic team of agents, managers and staff. After years of living in California, enjoying the Golden State’s ever-present palm trees and perpetual sunshine, I had a distinct sense of nostalgia spending time in the decidedly chillier Northeast. Something about being back among the charm of a snowy New England town made this visit feel like a trip home.
By Darrin Friedman
Choosing the right real estate agent can sometimes be a confusing experience. After all, there are choices everywhere! From your aunt who has been in the business so long she used to complete transactions on typewriters, to your ex-roommate who got his license six months ago; your options are numerous.
But that’s not what this blog is about.
By Amanda V. Stepp-Marcum
After watching the Academy Award winning movie American Sniper, I began to reflect on our wounded veterans around the country. As a real estate agent, my focus is always on helping others achieve the American Dream of homeownership but this movie made me think about the physically wounded soldiers in the U.S. and their specific housing needs.
It also happens that the subject is a very personal one for me.
By Gino Blefari
One of the stops on my travels this week was to Indianapolis where I met with the fine agents and managers at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty and spend time with Kevin Kirkpatrick, CEO; and John Dick, who recently retired as co-owner and president. I’ve known John and Kevin for about 14 years and they’re more than my colleagues; they’re my friends. Friendship is sometimes overlooked in business but it’s one of the most important assets in every company, office … and even sports team that has ever found lasting success. I’ve always said that I love what I do largely because of who I get to do it with. I get to work with my best friends in the world.
By Todd Waller
Historically low real estate inventory can be a daunting prospect for buyers and sellers alike. Real estate professionals use “months of inventory”—the number of months it will take to sell the current number of active home listings in a given market—to gauge local conditions. Over 6 months of inventory is called a “buyer’s market”; between 3 and 6 months of inventory is a “neutral market”; less than 3 months of inventory is a “seller’s market.”
Nationally, 2014 saw a thin inventory of homes for sale and good buyer demand for those homes.
REthink report 