REALTOR® Review Winter 2014 by Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®

realtorreview winter 2014

速

An e-publication of the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS速

Congratulations 2013 REALTOR of the Year 速

Guaranteed Rate will be offering a whole new collection of marketing tools that you can share with your clients. Sign up for the Partner Xchange today, and be sure to choose Phyllis as your preferred loan officer at www.guaranteedrate.com/agent Check our new Ty Pennington website for videos and features covering a variety of home improvement challenges. www.guaranteedrate.com/ty

Phyllis Faulkner

Vice President of Mortgage Lending

P: 919.256.6386 F: 919.256.6390 phyllis.faulkner@guaranteedrate.com guaranteedrate.com/PhyllisFaulkner

NMLS ID: 70797 LO Lic#: NC - I-102855 - L-109803 NMLS (Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System) ID 2611 • NC - Lic #L-109803 • 5922 Six Forks Road • Suite A • Raleigh, NC 27609

realtorreview ®

winter 2014, Vol. 6, No. 1

features ®

16 graduates of the triangle realtors® leadership academy

17 Hit production goals in 2014 18 by ditching least Government affairs update

14 3 key strATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE BUSINESS for local search on mobile devices

RRAR Officers Mollie Owen, President Morty Jayson, Vice President Harriette Doggett, President-Elect Mark Parker, Secretary/Treasurer Asa Fleming, Immediate Past President RRAR DIRECTORS David Anderson Lewis Grubbs Diana Braun Becky Harper Eddie Brown Linda Bird Kolarov Anne Cain Tim McBrayer Brenda Carroll Gina Miller Frank DeRonja Mindy Oberhardt Diane Donnelly Renee Smith Bill Fletcher Tom Smith Van Fletcher Mark Parker Marshall Gay Margaret Sophie Tom Gongaware Josh Swindell

john wood named RRAR 2013 9 realtor of the year RRAR Leadership recognized by 13 raleigh city council

Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® 111 Realtors Way, Cary, N.C. 27513 Phone: 919-654-5400; Fax: 919-654-5401 www.rrar.com

profitable activities

why google plus is invaluable 21 for growing your real estate business and brand

departments

realtor® foundation of the triangle OFFICERS President: Morty Jayson President-Elect: Steina DeAndrade NCAR Regional Vice Presidents Teresa Pitt and Jose Serrano NAR Directors Linda Trevor and Asa Fleming triangle realtors® leadership academy dean Scott Hoyt Members are cautioned that the inclusion of a name, specific commercial product or service in an article, or in this publication does not imply endorsement by the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®. All advertisers in this publication wholly support the Fair Housing Act and fully promote equal opportunity housing. Copyright 2014 by the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®. All rights reserved. REALTOR® Review staff: Patricia Gregory Rand, editor, patriciar@rrar.com Sandee Washington, managing editor, sandeew@rrar.com Shelly Beck, graphic designer, sbdesign@cox.net

3 President’s Message 6 Welcome New Members 10 Newsmakers 26 Local Market Update 30 RRAR Events

For editorial contributions and ad inquiries, please contact Patricia Gregory Rand at patriciar@rrar.com or (919) 654-5400.

rrar.com REALTOR Review ®

Preliminary Identity Colors

l 1 l

winter 2014

REALTOR Review 速

l 2 l winter 2014

president’s message

Mollie Owen Lights Up Angus Barn at

Denim & Diamond Inaugural

MISSION STATEMENT The Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®, the area’s voice of real estate, promotes the highest ethical and professional standards and cooperation among its members; provides products, programs and services to meet the evolving needs of the real estate industry and consumers; and serves as a leading advocate of private property rights and community involvement. VISION STATEMENT “Anticipating and meeting the opportunities and challenges of our industry.” RRAR 2014 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Bylaws: Harriette Doggett Building: Harriette Doggett Communications & Public Relations: Kevin Woody Community Service Committee Chair: Dawn Nuzzi Governmental Affairs Committee Chair: Mark Parker RPAC: Harriette Doggett Personnel: Linda Trevor Grievance: Teresa Pitt, Nancy Cashwell, Morty Jayson, Dayne Luck Hall of Fame: Ed Willer Nominating: Linda Trevor RRAR 2014 COUNCIL CHAIRS Women’s Council of REALTORS® Chair: Dianne Goode Triangle International Council of REALTORS® Chair: Ivana Hanacek The REALTOR® Foundation of the Triangle President: Morty Jayson Top Producers Council Co-Chairs: Janice Rosenberg and Mary Biathrow Property Management Council Chair: Debbie Henry Small Brokers Council Chair: Leslie Williams RRAR STAFF DIRECTORY Main Office (919) 654-5400 Fax (919) 654-5401 www.rrar.com RRAR Company Store, (919) 654-7253 Chief Executive Officer Tessa Hultz, Ext.1022 and tessah@rrar.com Association Services Director Betsy Ramsey, Ext. 1004, betsyr@rrar.com Association Services Associate Vicki Buckholtz, Ext. 1027, vickib@rrar.com Communications Director Patricia Gregory Rand, Ext. 1026, patriciar@rrar.com Communications Associate Sandee Washington, Ext. 1023, sandeew@rrar.com Education Director Cara Mottershead, Ext. 1006, caram@rrar.com Education Associate Sonya Yankoglu, Ext. 1024, sonyay@rrar.com Facilities Manager Mary Rachel Bowling, Ext. 1016, maryrachelb@rrar.com Governmental Affairs Director Christopher MacDonald, Ext. 1025, christopherm@rrar.com Information Associate Shelia Clark, Ext. 1001, sheliac@rrar.com Store Manager Yukari Powers, Ext. 1028, yukarip@rrar.com TMLS STAFF DIRECTORY Vice President of Operations Rachel Wiest, Ext. 1019, rachelw@trianglemls.com Communications/Data Asset Manager Christy New, Ext. 1008, christyn@trianglemls.com Compliance Director Letitia Pennington, Ext. 1014, letitiap@trianglemls.com Compliance Associate Raina Joyner, Ext. 1020, rainaj@trianglemls.com Data Distribution Director Carol Hamrick, Ext. 1007, carolh@trianglemls.com Membership Associate Kristina Faison, Ext. 1005, kristinaf@trianglemls.com MLS Systems Director Kathy Matheson, Ext. 1012, kathym@trianglemls.com MLS Technical Support Associate J Stepp, Ext. 1009, js@trianglemls.com MLS/Realist Support Associate Jennifer Horton, Ext. 1010, jenniferh@trianglemls.com Technical Operations Director Matt Nagy, Ext. 1017, mattn@trianglemls.com Training Development Manager Allan Nielsen, Ext. 1003, allann@trianglemls.com CTC/MLS Training Manager Lynne Brid, Ext. 1015, lynneb@trianglemls.com

2013 RRAR President Asa Fleming receives a special thank you gift from 2014 President Mollie Owen. Mollie is seen wearing a crown. She joked that she would be serving as queen of RRAR. See mollie owen on page 4 REALTOR Review ®

l 3 l

winter 2014

RRAR/TMLS MEMBERSHIP/ FINANCE DEPARTMENT Membership/Finance Director Randi Clodfelter, Ext. 1021, randic@trianglemls.com Finance Associate Pat Long, Ext. 1018, patl@trianglemls.com Finance Associate Jill Pressley, Ext. 1011, Jillp@rrar.com Membership Associate Kelly Hunsucker, Ext. 1013, kellyh@trianglemls.com

mollie owen continued from page 3

It was a full house for the 2014 RRAR Inaugural Ball. More than 250 members and friends toasted the many new and exciting changes for RRAR. An excerpt from Mollie Owen’s speech: In our efforts to hire a new CEO this past year, we employed Jerry Matthews as our search consultant. He did a wonderful job and our collective efforts brought us our extraordinary new CEO, Tessa Hultz, all the way from Wichita, Kansas. At the successful conclusion of our search, Jerry gave each of us on the search committee a copy of his book, “The Galt Guild” about Association management. His opening story is a great lesson for organizations of all kinds.

In many ways organizations can be like the monkey. We grip so tightly to what we have, that we cannot see what is possible. Sometimes, we must release our grip on what we are today, to create what we can be tomorrow. Fortunately, our former CEO and 2012 Realtor® of the Year, Ray Larcher provided sound leadership and direction for our Association for the past 20 years. Because of his choices, decisions and guidance, we are well positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities that await. Our Association’s future is an exciting time of change as we learn to cling to the traditions that have brought us thus far and embrace changes that will carry us to the next level. —————— Mollie expressed tremendous gratitude to the sponsors, her family, the RRAR staff (especially Betsy and Vicki who planned the event) everyone at Hodge & Kittrell and all those who have helped her along the way in a career spanning nearly two decades. Host sponsor: PNC Sparkle Sponsors: KB Home and Royal Oaks Glitter Sponsors: LPS Data & Analytics and Toll Brothers Shine Sponsors: BB&T Home Mortgage, First American Home Buyers Protection and Cunningham & Company Foundation raffle: Bailey’s Fine Jewelry donation of David Yurman bracelet

Jerry tells of how trappers in Africa use an unusual method for capturing monkeys. In the monkey’s habitat, they find a hollow tree. They cut a round hole in the side of the tree about the size of the monkey’s arm and place food inside. The monkey reaches inside the tree, grabs the food and attempts to remove his arm. But, he cannot, as his fist around the food is larger than the hole. Try as he might, the monkey cannot pull his arm out. Stubbornly, he will not let go of this self-trap and is easily captured. The monkey grips so tightly to what he has, he cannot see anything else. And he loses everything. REALTOR Review ®

I will conclude with this story about a custodian who was mopping the floors at a NASA office in the 1960’s. When asked what he was doing, he replied, “I’m putting a man on the moon.” Please leave with this…whether you are involved in leadership, you chair a committee, you are a graduate of the Leadership Academy, you are part of RRAR staff or you are a member of our Association, you each play a vital and valuable role in helping us shoot for the moon. Thank you for all you do and may 2014 be a great year! Sincerely,

Mollie Owen 2014 President

l 4 l winter 2014

REALTOR Review 速

l 5 l

winter 2014

w e l c o m e NEW MEM B ER S ! first Quarter 2014

Below are new first-quarter Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® members. Kristi Abernethy, Cunningham & Co. Lindsay Addison, Chanticleer Properties LLC Justin Alcott, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Andre Allen, The Virtual Realty Group Vetina Andrews, Robuck Homes, Inc. Julia Annibale, Fonville Morisey/Brier Creek Sales Office Jennifer Arthur, Fonville Morisey/Wake Forest Sales Office Jahar Asad, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Jason Ast, Sunshine Real Estate, LLC Elizabeth Baccala, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Phillip Barbour, Fonville Morisey/Falls Sales Office Jamie Barbour, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Chad Barnes, ZeroRez Linda Barrett, Team Jodi Realty Inc. Edmond Batchelor, Trademark Property Services, LLC Randi Bauer, Peachtree Communities Realty Group, LLC Kathy Benson, Deans Group Realty LLC Misty Bernot, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Julia Blanks, Beazer Homes Jennifer Boney, Advantage Realty Enterprise, LLC Frank Braddy Jr., BB & T Home Mortgage Carla Brand, Dan Ryan Builders North Carolina, LLC Amber Brennan, Keller Williams Elizabeth Brewer, Re/Max United Susan Bridgers, Chatham Homes Realty Leavitt Bridgman, Lennar Carolinas LLC Shannon Brien, Raleigh Cary Realty Inc. Charles Bryant, Daymark Realty Laraeshontee Butcher, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Linda Caldwell, Caldwell Realty Timothy Capps, Studley Stephen Cardillo, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Whitney Carter, Anglin Law Firm, PLLC Mary Carter, Re/Max Preferred Associates Jamie Casey, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office John Cates, Tranzon Fox Auctions Jennifer Cavin, Dan Ryan Builders North Carolina, LLC Christopher Cerbini, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Candong Cheng, CHK Realty Stephanie Cherko, Home Coach of the Triangle Esther Choi, Keller Williams Susan Chriscoe, Re/Max Preferred Associates Jeremy Clark, Hunter Rowe Real Estate Kadri Clark, Linda Craft & Team, REALTORS Donna Cleghorn, Covenant Realty NC Ben Clifton, PNC Mortgage Salomon Cohen, East Bridge Realty, LLC Jennifer Coley, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Michelle Congleton, Dream Living Realty Beth Crompton, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Maria Curtis, PNC Mortgage John Cutler, Fathom Realty NC, LLC Adam Czechowicz, Bethosys Contractor Group Thomas Dabal, Fonville Morisey/Wake Forest Sales Office Jo Ann Dacey, Keller Williams Yves-Marie Daley, Exit Realty Unlimited David Daniel, Re/Max One Realty Cristina Davis, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Jessica Day, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Kimberly Decker, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Ronald DeConto, The New Realty Group, LLC Peter DeLisi, Porchlight Real Estate Frank Devoid, Daymark Realty Mickey D’Loughy, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Uriah Dortch, AH4R Management NC LLC

Laquita Douglas, Lennar Carolinas LLC Meredith Douglas, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Joy Drew, ERA Strother Real Estate Frank Duke, PNC Mortgage Jason Eadie, PNC Mortgage Mary Burr Edwards, Fonville Morisey/Falls Sales Office Lori Edwards, Re/Max Preferred Associates Maria Luisa Elias De Jesus, MG Capital Properties, LLC Karin Evanoff, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Michal Evans, Re/Max United Nicole Faircloth, Keller Williams Philip Farmer, Triangle Real Estate Group Taralyn Farrell, Coldwell Banker Advantage Lori Ferlo-Martin, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Dana Fields, Re/Max Preferred Associates Lionel Finley, Focus Realty Advisors, LLC Thomas Fischer, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Alisha Fisher, Keller Williams Realty Angela Floyd, Coldwell Banker Advantage Larry Fogleman, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Alicia Frazier, Icon Realty and Management Mayaribe Galletta, Re/Max United Lisa Garceau, Re/Max United James Garman, Garman Homes LLC Kimberly Giles, Peachtree Communities Realty Group, LLC Jeffrey Gillespie, Block & Associates Rty/Relocation Susan Gillispie, Keller Williams Realty Angelo Girginis, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Daniel Golden, Peachtree Communities Realty Group, LLC Tracy Gonzalez, Total Source Realty/Just Call Brenda RE Maurice Grady, eRealty, Inc. Michelle Graham, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Lee Graham, HomeTowne Realty Hugh Grist, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Paula Grossman, Weichert REALTORS-Triangle Homes Brian Grubbs, Raleigh Mortgage Group Samuel Guemple, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Nevar Guy, Excelsior Real Estate, LLC Karen Haines, Coastal Federal Credit Union Brandi Hale, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Jeannie Hall, ForeverHome, LLC Freda Hamlett, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Natalie Hart, Home Coach of the Triangle Robert Haun, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Nancy Haworth, On Task Organizing, LLC Barry Hester, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Heather Hinson, Fonville Morisey/Inside the Beltline Office Micheal Hokenberg, Total Source Realty/Just Call Brenda RE Jennifer Holcombe, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Jessica Holland, Re/Max One Realty Teresa Howard, Chatham Homes Realty Elizabeth Howell, Keller Williams Chih Chien Huang, Keller Williams Meihua Huang, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Richard Huntley, Howard Perry & Walston Paul Inserra, Red Door Company Kelly Jacoby, Go Realty Rodney Jayes, Northside Realty Inc. Julie Johnson, Keller Williams Wayne Johnson, Keller Williams Realty Brianna Joines, Keller Williams Realty Erin Joy, Go Realty Robyn Keller, C-21 Becky Medlin Realty Shannon Keys, Chanticleer Properties LLC Diane Kleckner, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Catherine Kline, Rachel Kendall Team, LLC Tina Konidaris, Primary Residential Steven Kooistra, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Emilio Kraizel, Commission Express

Marika La Sorsa, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Susan Lambeth, Keller Williams Megan Langebeck, Aimee Anderson & Associates Inc. Lars Larson, Home Coach of the Triangle First Name Last Name, Office Name Philip Leone, Coldwell Banker Advantage Cynthia Levesque, Fonville Morisey/Stonehenge Sales Office Carol Lewis, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Andy Leyva, Selling Directly Mathias Linden, Pegasus Realty, LTD Karen Lindsey, Keller Williams Realty Lisa Linsenmeier, Oak Strong Realty, LLC Chandler Lippert, Prime One Realty Vickie List, Resolute Property Management, LLC Agnelo Lobo, REIT Place, llc Timothy Loebach, Raleigh Cary Realty Inc. Hazel MacDonald, Keller Williams Marc Mailand, Fonville Morisey/Falls Sales Office Cynthia Maloney, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Kristie Matocha, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Deborah Maxwell, Fonville Morisey/Falls Sales Office Sonya May, Keller Williams Liz McCabe, Go Realty Lisa McCann, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Laurie McCoy, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Aga McDonie, Fonville Morisey/Falls Sales Office Charlandra McElrath, Sunshine Real Estate, LLC Margaret McKinnon, Fonville Morisey/Inside the Beltline Office Nicholas Mclamb, Fonville Morisey/Inside the Beltline Office Gerald McLeod, SECU*RE Sylvia McPadden, ForeverHome, LLC Abe Mendez, The Radon Specialist Kimberly Michael, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Mihai Mocanu, Keller Williams Alexander Moore, Linda Craft & Team, REALTORS Kristopher Morton, Fonville Morisey/Wake Forest Sales Office Leigh Mullins, Weichert REALTORS-Triangle Homes Solomon Muriithi, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Ricky Murray, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Claire Murtaugh, Go Realty Thomas Muto, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Marsha Myers, Fonville Morisey/Wake Forest Sales Office Raj Narayana, REIT Place, llc Mark Neal, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Brittain Niemchak, Dan Ryan Builders North Carolina, LLC Timothy Niles, FourStar Realty Sharin Osman, Raleigh Custom Realty, LLC Huaqin Pan, CHK Realty Pavel Panchev, Fonville Morisey/Brier Creek Sales Office Young Mae Park, Coldwell Banker Advantage Bryan Parker, Cunningham & Company Mortgage Bankers Teresa Parker, Cunningham and Company Mortgage Brokers Elizabeth Parson, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Kara Patchin, CaryRealEstate.com Beth Pavia, Highgarden Real Estate North Carolina Cheryl Payne, Lady Tarheel Appraisal Lauren Pendry, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Dorothy Penne, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Brandon Penny, Fonville Morisey/Inside the Beltline Office Lynne Peters, RDU Realty Robyn Pettersen, Ismay Realty Group Christopher Phelan, PNC Mortgage Candace Pia, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Sharon Pierce, Fonville Morisey/Inside the Beltline Office Katherine Pierse, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Marisa Poe, Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty Neil Porter, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Patrick Price, Movement Mortgage Doris Ann Price, Raleigh Cary Realty Inc.

Elizabeth Primm, Re/Max One Realty Jeffrey Prisco, Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty Minioo Rakhsha, Coldwell Banker Advantage Michael Ray, Fathom Realty NC, LLC Ciney Rich, LPS Jordan Richardson, Keller Williams Edward Riddell, Fonville Morisey/Vandora Sales Office Matthew Riley, Royal Oaks Building Group Carey Rivers, Fonville Morisey/Stonehenge Sales Office Mark Roberts, PNC Mortgage David Roberts, Century 21 Triangle Group Martin Roberts, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Gray Rodgers, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Kristie Rolan, Front Porch Realty Robert Romano, Fonville Morisey/Stonehenge Sales Office Bryon Ruben, Fonville Morisey/Inside the Beltline Office Caitlin Ryland, Coldwell Banker Advantage Heather Salvatore, Keller Williams Realty Kasey Sanders, Fonville Morisey/Lochmere Sales Office Tammy Sasser, BB & T Mortgage Parker Sawyer, PNC Mortgage Melissa Secrest, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Jeffrey Seed, Adams Homes Realty, Inc Gideon Segall, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Rakesh Sethi, LP Realty Catherine Sheriff, Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty Eric Sherman, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Jim Sherron, Coldwell Banker Advantage Julia Sibert, Campbell Warfield, LLC Aaron Sine, Bank of England Adrienne Smith, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Zhijie Song, CHK Realty Derrick Spencer, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Heather Stainback, Allen Tate Co. Inc. Kim Stallings, Home Coach of the Triangle Angela Stewart, Gephart Hill Realty Jonathan Strout, WIN Home Inspection Raleigh Dale Suggs, Howard Perry & Walston Laura Szemereta, Go Realty Justin Talbert, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Brandi Taylor, Go Realty Terence Thomas, Coldwell Banker Advantage Lloyd Tolson, Centex Realty Company Mitchell Townsend, MK Townsend Realty, Inc. Jennifer Trapaso, Berkshire Property Advisors Sondra Trice, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Mari Jo Tropcich, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Michelle Trotter, Fine Homes By Michelle Lindsay Trumpler, Savvy Solutions Real Estate Jessenia Valentin, Keller Williams Chris Vecchio, State Farm Julie Veneto-LLanes, Keller Williams Preferred Realty Nancy Wall, The Wall Law Firm, PLLC Donna Walston, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Charles Watkins, Oak Strong Realty, LLC Elizabeth Wayne, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor David Weber, Highgarden Real Estate North Carolina Todd Weiss, Just The Basics Lawn Maintenance Marc Williamson, Flat Fee Realty LLC Helene Winter, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Larry Wise, Wise Choice Realty Elisa Wright, Bailey Wright Realty Qing Yao, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Ray Yarlagadda, Howard Perry & Walston Realtor Karen Young, First Triangle Realty, Inc. Fei Yu, Fonville Morisey/Preston Sales Office Victoria Zhao, Keller Williams Xingliang Zhou, First Triangle Realty, Inc.

If you would like to sponsor a new member orientation, contact Betsy Ramsey at (919) 654-4500. REALTOR Review ®

l 6 l winter 2014

REALTOR Review 速

l 7 l

winter 2014

REALTOR Review 速

l 8 l winter 2014

John Wood Named RRAR 2013 REALTOR of the Year

John Wood was named 2013 REALTOR® of the Year (ROY) by the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® (RRAR) at the association’s annual Inaugural Ball at the Pavillions at the Angus Barn in Raleigh on Friday, January 10, 2014. Wood, a Past President of RRAR has been active with the association at the local, state and national levels and served as National Association of REALTORS® Director and Committee Member, North Carolina Association of REALTORS® (NCAR) Regional Vice President, Director 2006-2013, and served on numerous committees at NCAR and RRAR. In addition, Wood is very active in the community serving on the board of his church and past chairman of its board of trustees along with numerous other community organizations. About Wood, RRAR CEO Tessa Hultz said, “In the short amount of time that I have known John I have seen him go above and beyond to serve the REALTOR® Community. We are lucky to have his expertise and commitment. He is very devoted to the REALTORS® and the community as a whole.” Wood first became active in real estate twenty-five years ago after graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne College. He is also a member of the Home Builders Association of Wake County and the Sales and Marketing Council. John and his wife have two children.

REALTOR Review ®

l 9 l

winter 2014

newsmakers

Congratulations to Jose Serrano! Jose and his wife enjoyed an all-expenses paid trip to the Orange Bowl in Miami courtesy of the National Association of REALTORS®

RRAR Member Charlene J. Jones Earns Broker Price Opinion Resource [BPOR] Certification Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® member Charlene J. Jones has earned the Broker Price Opinion Resource certification, offered to REALTORS® by the National Association of REALTORS® with the purpose of developing professional expertise and competence in providing clients accurate property market values. REALTOR Review ®

NOW IS THE TIME

Great low interest rates. Brand new homesites selling quickly. It’s time to discover all that Built to Order ™ has to offer you! Discover your Built to Order potential at any one of these great communities.

Lakestone Village

RALEIGH

HOLLY SPRINGS

CARY

5613 Black Maple Dr., Raleigh, NC 27616

COMING SOON

See RV at entrance of Cedar Bend.

Brandemere and The Glen

NORTH RALEIGH

Parks at Bass Lake

2000 Grigsby Ave., Holly Springs, NC 27540

Oakwood North

FUQUAY-VARINA

1200 N. State St., Raleigh, NC 27604

1507 Old Bramble Ln. Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

COMING SOON

WAKE FOREST The Meadows

1235 Barnford Mill Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587

DURHAM

Orchard Ridge

103 Daneborg Rd., Durham, NC 27703

Lakestone Village Partin Place COMING SOON

1528 Hwy. 24, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

ROLESVILLE Pine Glen

4608 Jersey Pine Dr., Rolesville, NC 27571

Phillips Place Cedar Bend

See RV at entrance.

CLAYTON

CobbleStone Place

40 Averasboro Dr., Clayton, NC 27520

Creekside Commons COMING SOON

801 Champion St., Clayton, NC 27520

Summerlyn

COMING SOON

33 Green Willows Dr., Clayton, NC 27520

For more information on these communities, call (919) 768-7989.

Broker Cooperation Welcome. ©2014 KB Home (KBH). See Built to Order™ options and upgrades offered at KB Home Studio. All options/upgrades require additional charges and ordering at predetermined stages of construction, and are subject to change/discontinuation anytime by KB Home. KB Home is not a custom homebuilder. Photo may depict upgraded landscaping/options and may not represent lowest-priced homes. See sales representative for details. RAL-114778

l 10 l winter 2014

On your next home sale, experience for yourself why WIN has been North America’s preferred home inspection service for over 10 years.

Experience WIN for yourself. WIN has been providing professional home inspections to thousands of real estate professionals across North America since 1993. The next time you’re coordinating a home sale, call on WIN. Wherever you need us, we’ll be there.

Raleigh 919.757.7651 Schedule online at: www.winhomeinspectionraleigh.com Jonathan Strout Owner / Operator

REALTOR Review ®

l 11 l

winter 2014

REALTOR Review 速

l 12 l winter 2014

Pictured left to right: Christopher MacDonald, GAC Director; Mark Parker, GAC Chair; Tim McBrayer, GAC Vice Chair; Asa Fleming, RRAR Past President; Lewis Grubbs, GAC Past Chair; Mollie Owen, RRAR President; Tessa Hultz, RRAR CEO.

RRAR Leadership Recognized by Raleigh City Council Leadership of the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® was recognized by Mayor Nancy McFarlane at the first meeting of the Raleigh City Council for 2014. RRAR Government Affairs Director Christopher MacDonald was asked to speak on behalf of the group and took the opportunity to introduce those present, RRAR Government Affairs (GA) Chairman Mark Parker, RRAR Government Affairs Vice Chair Tim McBrayer, RRAR Immediate Past President

Asa Fleming, Immediate past GA Chairman Lewis Grubbs, RRAR President Mollie Owen and RRAR CEO Tessa Hultz. Immediately following introductions Parker briefly shared goals of RRAR and said, “I am very pleased that several members of the RRAR Leadership had the good fortune of meeting with the Raleigh City Council. We look forward to cultivating a strong relationship with city leaders in order to promote and protect REALTOR Review ®

l 13 l

winter 2014

housing opportunity and private property rights.” About the opportunity MacDonald concluded, “RRAR Government Affairs Committee is centered on the three core values, education, transportation and economic development. It’s exciting to be part of the process of taking Raleigh into a sustainable and reliable future. Building relationships and interfacing with public officials is an integral part of the REALTOR® organization’s mission.”

3 key strategies

to optimize business for local search on mobile devices Why you can’t afford not to be on Yelp, Google Plus Have you created a mobile marketing strategy for your business? The percentage of consumers using mobile devices to search is skyrocketing, and mobile search cannot be ignored. This post will show you how to optimize your local mobile strategy. Most of you spend a lot of time and money building a website and optimizing it for search engine optimization so you can be found in online searches. However, many of you fail to optimize your business for “local search.” What is local search? An example would be an iPhone user asking Siri to find them a real estate agent in Denver. Local searches include a specific location, city, ZIP code, etc. A mobile marketing strategy is vital to “local search” because mobile devices index local searches very differently than personal computers. In fact, most of the things you’ve done to optimize your website for search are not going to be of any help in mobile local search. Taking time to properly optimize your business for mobile local search could be one of the most important things

you do in 2014!

Let’s look at some stats on mobile searches: 1. Local mobile searches are projected to exceed desktop searches by 2015 (eMarketer). 2. Seventy-seven percent of mobile searches happen at home or work — even if a PC is readily available (Search Engine Land). 3. Seventy-three percent of mobile searches trigger follow-up actions (Search Engine Land). 4. Seventy percent of mobile searchers call a business directly from the search results (Search Engine Watch). Those statistics are pretty staggering! It’s easy to see how important mobile search is becoming, and how critical it is that small businesses be prepared. How do you ensure that you are found when someone searches for a Realtor on their mobile phone? Here are a few tips: 1. Create a Yelp account for your business: Whether you love it or hate it, you need to be on Yelp. Thank Apple. Whenever an iPhone or iPad user REALTOR Review ®

l 14 l winter 2014

searches for a local business using Siri, the results are powered by Yelp. That’s right. If you’re not on Yelp, iPhone users are not going to find you in local searches. But wait, it gets worse. The results that Yelp returns to Siri are based on Yelp reviews. So the top result returned is going to be the Realtor with the most positive reviews. The simple fact is, if you want to be found in mobile search, Yelp is essential. And simply having a business account is not enough. You need positive reviews as well. TIP: Yelp is very finicky about its reviews. If someone creates an account for the sole purpose of writing a review for you, that review will likely never be activated. Yelp likes reviews from active users. So I recommend you ask your clients (and past clients), “Are you a Yelp user?” If the answer is “yes,” then ask them to write a review for you. Click here to create a Yelp business page. 2. Google Plus Local pages. But wait, there’s more… Google Plus Local pages are not just indexed in mobile Android searches, they are indexed in

three additional types of searches: regular Google searches, Google Map searches and Google Plus searches. Google Plus Local pages are similar to Facebook business pages, but they have better SEO. You don’t have to post to your Google Plus Local page like you would a Facebook business page, but if you have time you should, simply because the SEO in phenomenal. The essential elements are a complete bio, contact information, and some photos. And then you’ll want to ask for a few reviews. That’s right, just like Yelp, your Google Plus Local page is designed so that consumers can rate and review you. And the more positive reviews you have, the higher you will rank in search. Create a Google Plus Local page here.

7. YPMobile 8. Yelp 9. SuperPages 10. CitySearch There is one more site/tool I’d like to tell you about: Yext is a syndication tool for business listings. You create one powerful local listings page on Yext, and Yext will syndicate your business information to most of the sites listed above plus dozens more. All of the content on those sites can be managed from your Yext account. You’re not logging into 15 different sites to create 15 different local listings. And if you

We’re not finished yet. Studies show that not all consumers search for local businesses using Siri or Android Google searches. Many consumers use a favorite app. And you really should have a business listing on each of these sites as well. 3. Below is a list of the top mobile apps used for local searches. The associated links (just click) will take you to the page or site where you can set up your own business listing for that site. 1. Google Maps (All you need is the Google Plus Local page from above.) 2. Facebook 3. MapQuest 4. Apple Maps (All you need is a Yelp account!) 5. Bing 6. Yellowbook REALTOR Review ®

l 15 l

winter 2014

need to change or update any information, you need only to log into Yext. It’s very convenient, but it comes with a hefty price: The basic account is $499 a year. I’ve read some reports that sing the praises of Yext, and others that say it’s not worth the cost. If you’re interested, do some research on your own to determine if it’s a good fit for you. Marci James is the director of marketing at

Obeo, which provides interactive virtual tours, professional photography, virtual redecorating tools and custom real estate marketing solutions.

e l g n a i r T e h t f o s e t ! a y u m d e d a Gra c A p i h s r e d a e L S R O T L REA 速

REALTOR Review 速

l 16 l winter 2014

David Anderson Lynne Brid Wesley Carter Susan Ciccarelli Jenn Cole Diane Donnelly Janice Durham Jon Fletcher Sharon Kowitz Tim McBrayer Kathy Pierce

Class of 2013 Graduates Betsy Ramsey Amanda Smith Renee Smith Heather Williams Leslie Williams Mark Wooten

Government Affairs Update First and foremost - a huge THANK YOU to all who took the time to respond to the Call for Action during the recent snow storm in our area. The response rate was more than doubled from the previous Call for Action and we have you to thank. I am grateful for all the efforts. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Sandee Washington for being a Photoshop superhero! I am excited to announce that RRAR is initiating several programs to enhance grass roots support and advocacy throughout the organization. The Local Political Coordinator (LPC) program provides the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® (RRAR) with its own version of the State Political Coordinator (SPC) Program. Appointed members will be empowered to voice REALTOR® views from the local level. This is a great opportunity for our members to strengthen relationships with decision makers in all our jurisdictions. We are also working on improving member participation with Calls for Action and the REALTOR® Political Action Committee led by Harriett Doggett. In addition, it is quite a privilege working with the Chairman of RRAR Government Affairs Committee, Mark Parker. His leadership is a true attribute to the organization. REALTOR Review ®

l 17 l

winter 2014

Another new program that we are implementing is the RPAC Office Liaison program that charges members to educate their offices and encourage agents to participate by making an investment to RPAC. It has been noted since we implemented these programs that more members are getting involved. There is a higher response for Calls for Action and members are becoming more educated on issues, REALTOR® advocacy and importance of political action and what it means for their business. Finally, I am happy to report that RRAR will be hosting a member open event on April 24th with NAR’s Chief Lobbyist Jerry Giovaniello as well as a member talent show. I hope you will join us for an interesting and entertaining evening! Christopher MacDonald Director, Government Affairs

Hit production goals in 2014 by ditching least profitable activities Reallocate your time and money to areas that maximize return on investment Bernice Ross

Hitting your production goals in 2014 requires more than persistence and self-discipline. If you’re ready to do what it takes to hit your goals, you need a workable strategy to keep you on track throughout the year. Did you hit your production goals for 2013? If not, persistence and self-discipline alone are not enough. You also need a written business plan that establishes clear-cut priorities based upon profits, not just revenue. To make your business more profitable in 2014, follow these guidelines.

1. Identify your most profitable activities The first step is to make profitability your No. 1 priority. Begin by going through your production from 2013. Identify the three lead generation activities that resulted in the greatest amount of rev-

enue from your business, as well as the expenses associated with that income.

each category. You can do this by subtracting the cost from the income generated.

For example, assume that you generated the following amount of revenue and expenses for each of the following activities:

• Referrals: $43,000 minus $12,000 costs – $31,000 net profit

• Referrals: $43,000, with a cost of $12,000 • Website leads: $23,000, with a cost of $6,000 • Expired listings: $21,000, with a cost of $4,200 • Postcard mailing program to farm: $8,000, with a cost of $6,000 • Newspaper ads: $6,000, with a cost of $7,500 Which of these activities provided the greatest return on your marketing dollar? There are two ways to calculate this. The first strategy is to look at how much net profit that you made from REALTOR Review ®

l 18 l winter 2014

• Website leads: $23,000 minus $6,000 – $17,000 net profit • Expired listings: $21,000 minus $4,000 – $17,000 net profit • Postcard mailing program to farm: $8,000 minus $6,000 – $2,000 net profit • Newspaper ads: $6,000 minus $7,500 – $1,500 LOSS Examining the numbers this way shows that the three most profitable areas for the business above were referrals, website leads, and expired listings. Newspaper ads were costing more money than they were generating.

A different way to calculate this is to examine how much revenue each activity generated per dollar spent. To do this, you would take the total revenue and divide it by the total cost: • Referrals: $43,000/$12,000 – $3.58 net profit per dollar spent • Website leads: $23,000/ $6,000 – $3.83 net profit per dollar spent • Expired listings: $21,000/ $4,000 – $5.25 net profit per dollar spent

the top three categories. To show how this works: An additional $6,000 from postcard mailing plus $7,500 from newspaper ads totals $13,500. If you diverted this money into marketing to more expired listings, it would generate an additional $70,875 ($13,500 X $5.25) for your business as opposed to the $14,000 it currently generates. Being willing to let go of your least profitable activities allows you to have more funds to grow what is most profitable for you.

• Postcard mailing program to farm: $8,000/$6,000 – $1.33 net profit per dollar spent • Newspaper ads: $6,000/$7,500 – 80-cent LOSS for every dollar spent What makes using the second approach superior is that you can more easily compare which activities are the most profitable. If you were ranking these from the most to the least profitable, they would be: (1) expired listings, (2) website leads, (3) referrals, (4) postcard mailings, and (5) newspaper ads. Being willing to let go of your least profitable activities allows you to have more funds to grow what is most profitable for you.” Consequently, if this were your production profile, your time and money would be best spent working on generating more leads from expired listings. Every dollar spent there generates $5.25 in return. The two other top areas are website leads and referrals. The smart move is to take the money from bottom two categories (postcards and newspaper ads) and to allocate it to one of

2. Eat that frog! Motivational speaker Brian Tracy wrote a wonderful book called, “Eat that Frog.” This refers to handling the toughest item on your to-do list first each day. Procrastination is the primary reason people fail to achieve their goals. Each time we procrastinate about doing something, it becomes that much more difficult to complete. Thus, always tackle your three highest-priority goals at the beginning of the day. Any amount of delay greatly increases the amount of energy and effort it will take to achieve your goals. This also holds true for your daily activities as well. You may hate calling on owners of expired listings, but if it’s one of your three most profitable activities, do it first and get it out of the way. REALTOR Review ®

l 19 l

winter 2014

3. Use emotional rewards to make achieving your goals easier Some people find that they are more effective in achieving goals when they have no emotional charge around achieving the goal. Slow, steady and calm works best for them. Others need the adrenaline and the pressure of a deadline. Each person is different — identify the strategy that works for you and use it. 4. Determine the environment that best supports you Every action you take occurs in the context of your environment. For example, some people thrive in a noisy, boisterous environment, while others require absolute quiet. If you find yourself consistently being distracted when you’re working, change your physical environment. If the office is a distraction, work at home and vice versa. Take note of where you are the most efficient and spend your time in an environment that best supports your success rather than hampering it. The late architect and futurist Buckminster Fuller summed it up well when he said, “Environment is stronger than will.” Set your priorities in order based upon your profitability, create a supportive environment, and have your best year ever in 2014. Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com is a national speaker, trainer and author of the National Association of Realtors’ No. 1 best-seller, “Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success.” Hear Bernice’s five-minute daily real estate show, just named “new and notable” by iTunes, at www.RealEstateCoachRadio.com More from Bernice Ross: See more at: http://www.inman.com/2014/01/20/ hit-production-goals-in-2014-by-ditchingleast-profitable-activities/#sthash.oHavFE5m.UVFcV7k5.dpuf

MAY 3-4 AND 10-11

NOON–5 PM

9th ANNUAL

2014

Plan now to attend this free event! Our Green Home Tour features innovative, high-performance homes open to the public for touring. A green building professional will be on site to answer your questions and show you their home’s unique features.

919.493.8899

TriangleGreenHomeTour.com

TRIANGLEGREENHOMETOUR.COM

A joint program of the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties and the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County

Home Tour App REALTOR Review ®

l 20 l winter 2014

Why Google Plus is invaluable for growing your real estate business and brand While many praise Facebook, Google Plus can actually make bigger difference on sales This guest post was written by Bill Gassett, a Realtor® with Re/Max Executive Realty who has been helping people move in and out of the MetroWest Massachusetts area for the past 26 years. Connect with him on Google Plus. As a real estate agent, your job is just as much about marketing as it is about actually showing homes. If people don’t know a home is for sale, then there is a very small chance it will sell. So what can you do? Of course, you can do all of the traditional marketing techniques like direct mail, open houses and pounding

the pavement, but wouldn’t it be easier (and more cost-efficient) to be able to sell a home from the comfort of your office? With the ever-increasing clout of social media, this is no longer just a dream. If you play your cards right, it can surely become your reality. In fact, I know because this is a BIG part of my business. My blog is the hub of my business, but it is the social media tools such as Google Plus, Facebook and a few others — along with search engine optimization — that allow me to be in front of more people on a daily basis. REALTOR Review ®

l 21 l

winter 2014

The two giants When it comes to social media, there are two platforms that are no longer optional: Facebook and Google Plus. Yes, Twitter is cool and Pinterest is fun, but they can’t do for your real estate business what Facebook and Google Plus can — at least not yet. Why? Because they just don’t have the activity, interaction and importance that these two social media must-haves do. Pinterest however, is growing very rapidly and bares watching. The fact that real estate is so visual opens See why google plus on page 22

why google plus continued from page 21

up plenty of opportunities for a Realtor® to capture business on Pinterest. In fact, Google Plus and Pinterest work well for real estate in combination with each another. Take a look at the article and see how a Realtor® can use these social platforms in unison. You probably know that Facebook has the most users among all of the social media sites, but you may be surprised to learn that Google Plus comes in second place. Each day, according to popular news source Social Media Today, 665 million people are active on Facebook and 350 million are logging in to Google Plus. Sure, there is some overlap, but if you do the math, that’s more than 1 billion people you could be interacting with and building relationships with — and 1 billion people who will probably need to buy a house sooner or later. What’s even more exciting is that the key demographics for the two sites are completely different, which means there is probably less overlap than you think. Even if you do have some people following you on both sites, that just gives you more chances to build trust and develop lasting relationships. Facebook’s largest audience (30 percent of its users) is the 25to 34-year-old range, and they are mostly female. On the contrary, more than half of Google Plus users are 45-54 years old, and they are predominantly male. (Helpful side note: You should probably make a note of these demographics so you can target your posts accordingly.)

Which one is better? If you are worried about which one can make the biggest difference on your home sales, then Google Plus takes the cake. However, Facebook still has its merits and it’s worth your effort to maintain it. Let’s look a little deeper into why Google Plus for real estate agents is so important for growing your business and your brand. • You get more visibility, faster. When you post something to your blog, it can take weeks or months for it to show up on Google’s search rankings. But when you post something to your Google Plus page, it shows up almost instantly. This is because Google indexes anything that is posted into Google Plus very quickly. • You rank higher. Not only will your actual posts show up in the search rankings sooner, the links in them will get a nice little boost on their search position. Plus, the more people who click on your link, share your link or possibly “+1 your link, the more Google thinks it is credible and worthy of the elusive top ranking on the search results. In fact, over time when people link to your content because they believe it is exceptional, your Google Plus profile authority can grow increasing the chances you will show up in search. As Mark Traphagen points out in his brilliant article, there are not many who truly understand that Google Plus is far more than a social platform because of its unique ability to effect search results. • You can get your picture next to your post. Without a Google Plus profile, you can’t take advantage of the REALTOR Review ®

l 22 l winter 2014

Google Authorship program. This program links your blog posts directly to your Google Plus profile, which puts your Google Plus picture next to these posts in the search results (so you better make sure you use a good headshot!). Why do you care about a picture? Well, it makes you a real person, not just some random name on the computer screen, which directly equates to a higher click-through rate. But above that, it makes everything you post on your website rank higher. Google is a give-and-take kind of company. If you support it by using Google Plus, it returns the favor by giving your posts a little boost. • You will show up higher in the search results for people who you are connected with. If you thought it couldn’t get any better, you were wrong. Not only does Google pay attention to the fact that you have a Google Plus profile and that you use it, it also pays attention to the people you are connected with. When these individuals search certain keywords, if they are logged into their Google account (which can just be Gmail), Google will realize that they already trust you (since you are in one of their Circles), so Google will boost you up in the rankings when you would have otherwise been obsolete. • Cook up a Google Plus post daily. In order to keep your profile fresh and your connections growing, you should try to post something at least once a day. There are many Google Plus users who opt for far more than that, but having at least one article posted will keep you fresh in the minds

of those who have circled you. Most of the content on your profile should surround your topical authority, but also feel free to be human as well. There is nothing wrong with sharing other things that interest you. In addition, remember that if you really want to be successful, share other members’ content as well. This is how you build lasting relationships with others. Keep the social in social media and your efforts will be a far more successful endeavor.

Helpful tips for your Google Plus profile By now you are convinced that you need a Google Plus profile. Good. But just setting up the profile isn’t going to be enough. Here are a couple tips to get you on your way: • You have to make it a personal experience. Yes, there is tremendous value in posting links to your website on your Google Plus page, but if that is all you do, you will have missed the mark. Google Plus is also about building and maintaining relationships with people. The majority of your posts should be engaging and offer value. You can post home design ideas, information about local activities, or even funny memes. If you think your target audience will enjoy something, share it. And then, every once in a while (a few times a week max), add in a post with a link to one of your blog posts or home listings. • Keywords are a must. Your entire Google profile is evaluated for keywords. Google wants to know what you do and what you offer so it can make sure to show your posts to people who are looking for you. The “about”

section of your profile should be clear, concise and keyword-rich. The first sentence of each of your posts is also part of the title tag (which gets more clout in rankings), so never post something without the keyword or phrase right at the beginning.

“It is the social media tools such as Google Plus, Facebook and a few others — along with search engine optimization — that allow me to be in front of more people on a daily basis.”

What about Facebook? Even though Google Plus may help your rankings, and therefore sales, more than Facebook, that doesn’t mean Facebook should be ignored. After all, it does have almost twice as many users. Here are some things you need to know about Facebook: • Be social. Just like Google Plus, it’s all about engaging with your followers. It’s not called a social network for nothing. If someone comments on your post, say something back. Go ahead and self-promote yourself once or REALTOR Review ®

l 23 l

winter 2014

twice a week, but doing so any more than that may hinder you instead of help you. For some reason, real estate agents love to post things about their business that are meaningless to most people. For example, what does telling the world that you are out showing homes today do for you? Do you think people are looking at this and saying to themselves, “Boy, that Sally is one busy beaver — we will need to hire her when it comes time to sell our home”? Folks, this is the WRONG way of going about using Facebook. What’s the right way? How about posting something of value that either a perspective buyer or seller would say to themselves, “Wow, that is great information.” For example, an article on staging tips to help get the most money for your home. • Post a variety of ways. Facebook may not use EdgeRank anymore to determine who sees your posts, but that’s only because it is using something far more complex (there are more than 100,000 factors in its new algorithm). Facebook still looks at how current your post is and how much interaction it is getting, but it is now measuring which types of posts each person prefers. For example, if one of your followers seems to “like” only posts with images, that is all Facebook will show them. Post a combination of pictures, videos, links, and textonly posts to make sure each and every one of your followers will see something you put out there. • Be visually appealing. The saying a picture is worth a thousand words couldn’t be more accurate on Facebook. Great See why google plus on page 24

why google plus

order to accomplish this, I have been biting the bullet and sponsoring some of my content. While it is relatively inexpensive — currently $6.99, for a sponsored post — it begs the question of how many people will eventually get sick of Facebook altogether and start using Google Plus more for their real estate business.

continued from page 23

visual posts, in my experience, do far better than a link to an article does.

Who can find my content? Frankly, the one issue I have with Facebook is who can see your content. One would expect that anyone who follows you should be able to see your content, right? Unfortunately, this in not the case! If you follow social media like I do, you may have noticed some of the articles lately that have been taking pot shots at Facebook. Essentially, the uproar is due to the fact that Facebook has been really trying to monopolize the site. It wants you to pay to play. It is getting harder and

harder for the people who matter to see the content you are producing. This, of course, has brought a lot of anguish for those who use Facebook for more than just keeping up with friends. If you like to market your exceptional real estate content like I do, you may need to spend a little money to get your articles in front of more of the people you really want to see it. Lately, in

Parting social media advice Remember that social media is about being social! Use Google Plus and Facebook to drive visitors back to your website or blog. Make sure that once they are there you have the content to keep them there and wanting to come back for more. Do this and Google Plus and Facebook will be great tools to your success as a Realtor®.

for being home to doers. People. Community. Doers. PNC is proud to support the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®. Because we know that inspiration begins at home.

l 24 l winter 2014

REALTOR Review 速

l 25 l

winter 2014

Local Market Update – January 2014 A RESEARCH TOOL PROVIDED BY TRIANGLE MLS

Wake County

- 5.3%

+ 15.5%

+ 3.9%

Change in New Listings

Change in Closed Sales

Change in Median Sales Price

January

Year to Date

2013

2014

+/–

2013

2014

+/–

New Listings

1,666

1,578

- 5.3%

1,666

1,578

- 5.3%

Closed Sales

824

952

+ 15.5%

824

952

+ 15.5%

Median Sales Price*

$209,800

$218,000

+ 3.9%

$209,800

$218,000

+ 3.9%

Average Sales Price*

$250,275

$266,622

+ 6.5%

$250,275

$266,622

+ 6.5%

Total Dollar Volume (in millions)*

$206.2

$253.8

+ 23.1%

$206.2

$253.8

+ 23.1%

Percent of Original List Price Received*

94.4%

95.8%

+ 1.5%

94.4%

95.8%

+ 1.5%

Percent of List Price Received*

96.9%

97.5%

+ 0.6%

96.9%

97.5%

+ 0.6%

111

- 16.2%

111

- 16.2%

Inventory of Homes for Sale

5,560

5,037

- 9.4%

Months Supply of Inventory

5.0

3.6

- 27.3%

Days on Market Until Sale

* Does not account for seller concessions. | Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.

2013

January 1,666 ,

2014

1,666 ,

1 578 1,578

952

824

- 5.3% New Listings

+ 15.5% Closed Sales

2014

1 578 1,578

952

824

- 5.3% New Listings

2013

Year to Date

+ 15.5% Closed Sales

Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)**

All MLS

Wake County

+ 15%

+ 10%

+ 5%

- 5%

- 10% 1-2008

7-2008

1-2009

7-2009

1-2010

7-2010

1-2011

7-2011

1-2012

7-2012

1-2013

7-2013

1-2014

** Each dot represents the change in median sales price from the prior year using a 6-month weighted average. This means that each of the 6 months used in a dot are proportioned according to their period | Current as of February 10, 10 2014 share of sales during that period. 2014. All data from Triangle Multiple Listing Service Service, Inc Inc.. | Powered by 10K Research and Marketing Marketing.

For further information regarding TMLS Market Trends and Analysis please visit: www.TriangleMLS.com

REALTOR Review ®

l 26 l winter 2014

Local Market Update – January 2014 A RESEARCH TOOL PROVIDED BY TRIANGLE MLS

Entire Triangle Region

- 2.0%

+ 11.2%

+ 10.8%

Change in New Listings

Change in Closed Sales

Change in Median Sales Price

January

New Listings Closed Sales

Year to Date

2013

2014

+/–

2013

2014

+/–

3,177

3,112

- 2.0%

3,177

3,112

- 2.0%

1,550

1,723

+ 11.2%

1,550

1,723

+ 11.2%

Median Sales Price*

$178,700

$198,000

+ 10.8%

$178,700

$198,000

+ 10.8%

Average Sales Price*

$215,542

$239,699

+ 11.2%

$215,542

$239,699

+ 11.2%

$333.3

$412.1

+ 23.6%

$333.3

$412.1

+ 23.6%

Percent of Original List Price Received*

93.4%

94.6%

+ 1.3%

93.4%

94.6%

+ 1.2%

Percent of List Price Received*

96.3%

96.8%

+ 0.4%

96.3%

96.8%

+ 0.4%

114

103

- 10.0%

114

103

- 9.6%

Inventory of Homes for Sale

12,583

11,689

- 7.1%

Months Supply of Inventory

6.2

4.7

- 24.1%

Total Dollar Volume (in millions)*

Days on Market Until Sale

* Does not account for seller concessions. | Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.

2013

January 3,177

2014

3,177

3 112 3,112

1,550

- 2.0% New Listings

2013

Year to Date 3 112 3,112

1,723

1,550

- 2.0% New Listings

+ 11.2% Closed Sales

2014

1,723

+ 11.2% Closed Sales

Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)** Entire Triangle Region

+ 10% + 8% + 6% + 4% + 2% 0% - 2% - 4% - 6% - 8% 1-2008

7-2008

1-2009

7-2009

1-2010

7-2010

1-2011

7-2011

1-2012

7-2012

1-2013

7-2013

1-2014

For further information regarding TMLS Market Trends and Analysis please visit: www.TriangleMLS.com

REALTOR Review ®

l 27 l

winter 2014

WHY Coastal for your Home Loan Mortgage Needs? • LOCAL! Your loan is handled with care from start to finish at our Raleigh headquarters • 100% Loan Programs for First Time Home Buyers o 30 Year Fixed or 7/1 ARM o NO Private Mortgage Insurance………NO Income Restrictions • 97% CONVENTIONAL Loan Program • 95% JUMBO loan Programs up to $625,500…..90% up to $750,000 • Primary, Secondary, and Investment Property Loan Programs available

Chris Walker • • • •

Nearly 20 years experience in the mortgage lending industry A team of support behind him to insure a smooth loan experience Will always put your interest first APPLY online with same day pre-approvals 919-882-7039 cwalker@coastalfcu.org Coastal24.com/Cwalker 1000 St. Albans Drive - Raleigh, NC 27609

REALTOR Review ®

3125 Shannon Road - Durham, NC 27707

l 28 l winter 2014

Talent

got

Save the date April 24

st e u lG a i c e ’s p ! S o l h l R t i e A W N vani io G y r Jer l 29 l email ChristopherM@rrar.com with questions

REALTOR Review ®

winter 2014

RRAR events February

21-25 Association Executives Institute Baltimore, MD 27 Property Management Council (10am)

April 1 April Fool’s Day

5 Women’s Council of REALTORS® (9:30am)

20 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

2 Women’s Council of REALTORS® (9:30am)

Top Producer’s Council (11:30am)

6 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

Top Producers Council (11:30pm)

3 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

10 Successfully Selling HUD Homes (8:30-11am)

4 Leadership Academy Planning & Administration (9am - 5:30pm)

11 TMLS BOD (1pm) 12 RRAR BOD (9-11am)

8 TMLS BOD (1pm) Tentative Date

13 Diversity Committee (11:30am-1pm)

9 RRAR BOD (9-11am)

Communications & Public Relations (12-1pm)

10 Diversity Committee (11:30am-1pm)

14 Valentine’s Day

15 Community Service Committee (11:30pm)

17 President’s Day

16 Small Broker’s Council (8:45am)

18 Community Service Committee (11:30am)

Government Affairs Committee (11:30am)

19 Small Broker’s Council (8:45am)

17 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

Government Affairs Committee (11:30am)

18 Good Friday (Office Closed)

20 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

20 Easter

March

May

5 Women’s Council of REALTORS (9:30am)

1 New Member Orientation (8:30am-3pm)

2 Leadership Academy Team Building Retreat (9am-2:30pm)

Leadership Academy - Orientation Dinner (5pm)

6-7 Leadership Academy - Leadership Concepts with Tom Martin (8:30am-6pm)

7 RRAR BOD (9-11am)

6 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

7 Successfully Selling HUD Homes (8:30-11am)

12 Mother’s Day

12 RRAR BOD (9-11am)

15 New Member Orientation (9am-3pm)

13 Technology Fair and Trade Show (9am-4pm)

19 REALTOR® Foundation of the Triangle BOD (12:30-3pm)

17 REALTOR® Foundation of the Triangle BOD (12:30-3pm)

Women’s Council of REALTORS® Meeting (9:30am)

20 Community Service Committee (11:30pm)

St. Patrick’s Day

21 Small Broker’s Council (8:45am)

Annual Top Producers National Speaker TBD

21 Triangle International Council of REALTORS® (TICOR) (11:30am-1:30pm)

18 Community Service Committee (11:30pm)

Government Affairs (11:30am)

19 Triangle International Council of REALTORS® (11:30am)

22 Property Management Council (10am) 26 Memorial Day (Office Closed)

Government Affairs Committee (11:30am)

For more information, visit www.rrar.com

Small Broker’s Council (8:45am) REALTOR Review ®

l 30 l winter 2014

Winner’s Trophies, Skill Contests, Raffles and Prizes

REALTOR Review ®

l 31 l

winter 2014

We know your local market, because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a part of it. Convert your earned but unsettled commission to cash today. We have an online application process and a quick response.

Call

866 711 3116 Apply Online

http://www.commissionexpress.com/central-carolina

2035 Kingsley Drive, Albemarle, NC 28001