Month:April 2016

Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: Inspiration at the T3 Summit

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me in Westlake Village, CA for the fourth annual T3 Summit—T3 because Technology, Trends and Thoughts all take center stage at the event. The Summit is hosted by the Swanepoel T3 Group, one of the most prominent information and management-consulting firms in the residential real estate industry led by real estate visionary, Stefan Swanepoel. This was my first time attending T3 Summit and I have to say it was simply terrific. I left the conference feeling not only inspired by the speakers and presentations but also enlightened to go back to work with a fresh perspective and outlook on what it means to lead.

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A Seller’s Guide: How to Deal With Multiple Offers

By Kyle Hannegan

In today’s competitive market with such low inventory and high demand from buyers, many sellers are receiving multiple offers on their home. But if you’re a seller, which offer should you choose? While you may think the obvious answer is to go with the highest offer, it is actually more complicated than that. Here are some tips to help you navigate any multiple-offer situation:

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Apex of Luxury: The Best of Kailua Beachfront Living

Featuring the elite listings of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

This special Kailua beachfront home is situated on approximately 83 linear feet of what many consider to be the most prime section of the beach, located centrally on Kailua Bay with gorgeous ocean views from the Mokapu Peninsula to the famed Mokulua Islands. The unique elevated nature of the property affords the home privacy not found in many beachfront homes.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Gathering Of Eagles 2016

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me in Dallas for REAL Trends 2016 Gathering of Eagles. The event brings together top leaders in real estate and allows us to collaborate and share ideas. It was also my chance to reconnect with my friend, All-Pro Dallas Cowboys/New York Giants defensive back Everson Walls, whom I had met several weeks ago during our Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices theme party at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. I didn’t know it when we first connected in Texas—though I could tell he was a quality, great guy—but Everson actually gave a kidney to former Cowboys teammate Ron Springs and documents the moving story in his book, A Gift for Ron: Friendship and Sacrifice On and Off the Gridiron. What an incredible, selfless person! Everson is now a public speaker and can talk on any subject, so while I had him captive at breakfast, I asked him to tell me about the different cultures created by the coaches he played for: Eddie Robinson from Grambling State University, Tom Landry from the Dallas Cowboys, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick when Everson played on the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants team. I shared what Everson told me with the REAL Trends group.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Two First-Time Trips and What I Learned

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me landing at Logan International Airport in Boston, where I took an Uber to Windham, NH for a meeting with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty team. While in Windham, I delivered a presentation to Verani Realty agents and at lunch, had a chance to lead a two-hour training session for the fantastic leadership team: CEO Margherita Verani, President Giovanni Verani and Debbie Gallant, president of sales.

It was my first-ever trip to New Hampshire, which is the birthplace of current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Chip Kelly. Kelly once said one of my favorite quotes about leadership: “Everybody has the same amount of time during the day,” he explained. “You can either spend your time or invest your time.”

Isn’t that the truth?

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Instagram for Business: Eight Tips to Make Your Photos Last More Than an Instant

By Ellen Hill

The best advice I ever got was from a top-producing agent at my company. On my first day in the office, I strolled in, iPad in hand, ready to learn the real estate secret handshake and the office WiFi password. But instead of rattling off business apps I might use or online marketing systems to try, he sat me down in the biggest conference room at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties in Marietta, GA and simply spoke to me, one real estate professional to another. “Always remember that people want to work with people they like,” he said. “Business is just that simple.”

I quickly learned that he was right. Scripts and high-gloss brochures are great but at the end of the day, people want to work with people they like.

And that’s where Instagram comes in. Through photos and videos, the platform allows me to express exactly who I am so prospective clients can decide if they like me beyond my great listings, market data or awards. Because the platform is so popular, I’m able to reach a high volume of people in a short amount of time while being authentic and true to myself. It’s an easy way to win friends and influence listings, I promise.

But if you haven’t quite mastered being Instagram-authentic, here are eight tips to help:

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DEVELOPING SALES SKILLS – PART 2

In the second of a three-part video series, Paul Campanaro, agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona Properties, Nevada Properties and California Properties explains what good role play looks like and how it can help improve your communication skills and enhance your business. Watch Paul’s video and stay tuned for part three, coming soon!

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: Connecting in Hawaii

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me in Honolulu, HI (yes, you read that correctly, my business travels found me in Hawaii) for the 2016 Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) Global + Luxury Summit. While at AREAA, I had the honor of taking part in a panel discussion during the closing session of the conference to talk about luxury real estate, high-end consumer preferences, luxury lifestyle and housing trends. Joining me in the discussion was Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and Anne Miller, director of The RE/MAX Collection as well as Cedric Choi, CEO and director of Choi International, who was a superb moderator for the panel and participated in the discussion as well. It was a fantastic few days in the Aloha State and I have to thank the leaders of AREAA—2016 AREAA National Chairwoman Vicky Salvano; 2016 AREAA National Vice Chairwoman Angie Lee; Allen M. Okamoto, AREAA National Founding Chairman and AREAA Education Foundation, Emeritus; John Yen Wong, AREAA National Founding Chairman & Emeritus; Jim Park, AREAA National Chairman Emeritus and the rest of the fantastic AREAA team—for putting on such an engaging and dynamic event.

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Real Estate: A College Student’s Investment in the Future

By Phillip MacArthur

Are you a current college student looking for an opportunity to build your own business, gain more experience, and earn more money than you ever could by working a typical part-time job? Do you want to start paying your student loan debt while you are still in school? If so, you should forget about working at the university dining hall or a local restaurant near campus and start thinking about getting your real estate license!

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