The Residential Specialist, September/October

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B US I N E S S I N TELL IGE N CE FOR THE R RC PROFE S S IONA L

2019

THE

SPECIALIST ALSO IN THIS

ISSUE

Achieve digital marketing goals Staging enhances visual appeal Selling an unmarketable home

E SP

C I A L I S SU E

BOOST

YOUR MARKETING Tips to help your business take off

Designation Maintenance Articles Page 18—Pack a Digital Punch Page 26—Ready for My Close Up

CRS-045

Latest interior design trends Is credit tightening a threat?

Go old-school to get results

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vol. 18, no. 5

features

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Sep 20 Oct 19

MARKETING This marketingfocused issue highlights strategies and tactics that deliver maximum bang for your marketing dollars.

18

Designation Maintenance Article

PACK A DIGITAL PUNCH

A well-balanced, interrelated mix of digital marketing tactics creates a relevant and impactful strategy to engage online leads and increase conversions.

By Donna Shryer

30

26

SELLING THE UNSELLABLE

READY FOR MY CLOSE UP

A home next to a highway? One with a seven-car garage? One that’s fire damaged? They usually sell at a snail’s pace, but here’s how some “unmarketable” homes sold quickly.

Using staging to enhance a home’s visual appeal.

By Myrna Traylor

Designation Maintenance Article

By Daniel Rome Levine

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The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

1

Sep Oct

contents

Sep 20 Oct 19 vol. 18, no. 5

departments

12

5 VANTAGE POINT

By Michael Burkhard, CRS

6 ENTRY POINTS

Industry Headlines, Business Technology, Ideas & Trends

6

16

6 SMART SOLUTIONS: Beauty on the Inside Use these interior design trends to market a home and sell it faster.

By Megan Craig

10 INSIDE TRACK: Risky Business?

Despite recession qualms, few REALTORS® view credit tightening as an imminent threat.

By David Tobenkin

12 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY: Back to the Future

To escape the overcrowded digital space, some agents use traditional marketing techniques for stronger brand recognition and client relationships.

By Regina Ludes

16 PEER TO PEER: Kim Atkinson, CRS RE/MAX Signature, Richmond, Virgina

The Council adds two new unique certifications to its ongoing educational offerings.

Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life

by Francesca Gino

+

Pull the Plug There are benefits to taking regular breaks away from your phone.

inside RRC

37 NEWS FROM THE COUNCIL

34 WORK + LIFE

Reviewed by Allan Fallow

34

40 LEARN FROM THE BEST

A Certified CRS Instructor explains the benefits of targeted marketing.

36

41 RRC CONNECT 48 ASK A CRS

Advice from the country’s top agents.

48

ON L I N E R E S O UR CE S CRS.com

is your portal to news, education, referral and membership information. Read the magazine online at TRSMag.com.

CELEBRATE YOUR CRS

Downloadable materials and five free complimentary webinars from CRS Week are available at CRS.com/crs-week during and after the weeklong celebration, Sept. 16–20.

Take the long trail home.

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Quicken Loans, 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48226-1906 ©2000 – 2019 Quicken Loans Inc. All rights reserved. Lending services provided by Quicken Loans Inc., a subsidiary of Rock Holdings Inc. “Quicken Loans” is a registered service mark of Intuit Inc., used under license.

B US I N E S S I N TE L L I GE N C E F OR TH E R R C PR OFE S S I O NA L

Coming Next Issue ...

Picture yourself on the cover CRS Designees share stories about when they went above and beyond as agents, the unique ways they serve their communities and how they make an impact on the industry.

EDITOR Walter Boza wboza@crs.com 800.462.8841 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Megan Craig Daniel Rome Levine Regina Ludes Donna Shryer David Tobenkin Myrna Traylor 2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Michael Burkhard, CRS President-Elect Richard Waystack, CRS First Vice President Alex Milshteyn, CRS Immediate Past President Gary Williams, CRS Members Kim Cameron, CRS Shawn Cunningham, CRS Maura Neill, CRS Dan Steward Jen Ward, CRS Chief Executive Officer Lana Vukovljak Staff Liaison Patricia Stodolny PUBLICATION MANAGEMENT www.glcdelivers.com Publishing Manager Phil Malkinson Art Director Ivette Cortes

ADVERTISING MANAGER Chuck Gekas Director of Business Development 312.321.4443 cgekas@crs.com The Residential Specialist is published for Certified Residential Specialists, general members and subscribers by the Residential Real Estate Council.

The magazine’s mission is: To be a superior educational resource for CRS Designees and members, providing the information and tools they need to be exceptionally successful in buying and selling residential real estate.

The Residential Specialist is published bimonthly by the Residential Real Estate Council, 430 North Michigan Ave., Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611-4092. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices.

Mapping out your video plan Video is one of the most important forms of content you can produce. Learn about the easiest, cheapest ways to get it done.

Ethics violations What violations should you report and what are the current trends? Ethics pros provide some guidance.

How to make your business more agile Agility principles are enabling companies to be nimble when responding to market trends and fluctuations.

PLUS:

Read about the game-changing technologies that are impacting real estate, and learn which ones you should implement.

Would you like to be a source for a future story in The Residential Specialist? Send an email to KCure@crs.com

to be added to our potential source list.

Change of address? Email requests to crshelp@crs.com, call Customer Service at 800.462.8841 or mail to RRC at the above address.

The Residential Specialist (USPS-0021699, ISSN 1539-7572) is distributed to members of the Council as part of their membership dues. Non-members may purchase subscriptions for $29.95 per year in the U.S., $44.95 in Canada and $89.95 in other international countries.

All articles and paid advertising represent the opinions of the authors and advertisers, not the Council.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: The Residential Specialist, c/o Residential Real Estate Council, 430 North Michigan Ave., Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611-4092.

COPYRIGHT 2019 by the Residential Real Estate Council. All rights reserved.

Printed in U.S.A.

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The Residential Real Estate Council provides superior education, exceptional networking opportunities and critical resources. The Council’s flagship magazine, The Residential Specialist, delivers the latest industry trends, success stories and proven strategies to grow your business.

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Note: Members of the Residential Real Estate Council receive the magazine as part of their member benefits.

[vantage point]

from the desk of Michael Burkhard, CRS 2019 RRC President

THE VIEW

from space 

Marketing in today’s environment is more challenging than ever. We’re so busy with the small, daily victories and struggles that we don’t step back to see the view from space.

This can make us put blinders on, preventing us from seeing the big picture and making us unprepared for the future.

In my pre-real estate life, I ran a one-hour photo lab and then a video rental store. In both places, I learned that if you don’t pay attention to what is going on around you, you can lose yourself in the day-to-day activities—and get eaten alive. I saw the transition from silver halide to digital photos and then from videos to Netflix. The handwriting was on the wall for years, and yet many companies, big and small, didn’t pay attention.

Now, we see how much of an impact the internet has made on real estate. To compete, we all need to have an omnichannel online presence. We need to have sophisticated websites, foster reviews on third-party sites and post on every social media platform. There are a lot of boxes to tick to pull off a modern marketing plan—and a lot of ways to get lost in the day-to-day.

But the handwriting is on the wall here, too: The role of the real estate agent is changing. We are not the gatekeepers of listing information and lockboxes anymore. We are the trusted guides, experts and confidants. Relationships are now the most important part of this business and the foundation of any good marketing plan.

Keep yourself in front of your clients and let yourself get personally involved. That will make the difference and set you above all the other options consumers have to make real estate decisions. Be the educated advocate you know they need to guide them through these bumpy, complex transactions.

The best way to do that is to take all the RRC classes you can and use that advanced knowledge to stay out in front of the pack.

Then you can effectively manage the daily marketing grind without missing the view from space.

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BE THE EDUCATED ADVOCATE YOU KNOW THEY NEED TO GUIDE THEM THROUGH THESE BUMPY, COMPLEX TRANSACTIONS.

The Residential Real Estate Council

crs.com

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Sep Oct

[entry points]

BEAUTY

on the inside Use these interior design trends to market a home and sell it faster

Solutions streamlining your business through technology



A little attention to interiors can go a long way to bring out the best in a home. In fact, some interiors may mean the difference between an easily marketable home and one that appeals to only a few potential buyers.

“Beyond good bones and a stable structure, buyers are looking for a home that is beautiful, functional and fits their lifestyle,” says Megan Douglas, broker and REALTOR® with West and Main Homes in Denver. “The more a REALTOR® can consider how the potential buyer is going to live, and appeal to that buyer, the more they can maximize seller profits.”

Douglas says she uses a “nearly guaranteed success formula” for interiors that attract the largest buyer pool—one that includes a bright, light, open and airy aesthetic. Follow that formula with these tips.

Natural feeling

Whether with white oak cabinets, real wood floors or stacking doors, homebuyers are looking for interiors that help bring the outside in. “A natural and organic feel is ‘in’—a design

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aesthetic that brings nature inside and feels like a breath of fresh air,” Douglas says.

Some of the materials in vogue for all parts of the house—counters, floors and paint colors—lean toward natural, but are easy to maintain, including wood, granite and quartz.

Speaking of quartz …

Although granite is still very much in style, many of the most updated homes are moving to quartz countertops, says Joe Epifanio, CRS, an associate broker at Premiere Plus Realty in Naples, Florida. “Even though it’s man-made, people love it,” Epifanio says. “It comes in all kinds of light colors and can help make everything look simple and clean, which is always in style.”

As a bonus, quartz is harder than granite and therefore more durable. And because it isn’t porous like granite, quartz is easier to keep clean.

Natural-looking floors

As has been the trend for years, carpet is ‘out’—in newer homes, you’d be hard-pressed to find

iStock.com/sturti/guru86/Suesse/PeterHermesFurian/veenaben Patel

Smart

By Megan Craig

SMART IS BEAUTIFUL

POSITIVE FOCUS

It may not be as pretty as a coat of fresh paint, but smart technology is one interior feature topping lists for homebuyers.

So many people are interested in having smart technology integrated into their homes that builders are including high-speed Ethernet cables throughout new-construction houses to allow for full smarthome wiring, says Joe Epifanio, CRS, an associate broker at Premiere Plus Realty in Naples, Florida. That means a home can be completely run by a smart system like Alexa, and it also allows for full-scale smart security system installation.

“Smart technology is making people’s lives easier not only physically, but mentally,” Epifanio says.

The more smart technology is integrated in a home, the more likely it is to be noticed by buyers, says Megan Douglas, broker and REALTOR® with West and Main Homes in Denver. “I see clients perceive a home with integrated smart technology as being better cared for than one without.”

Douglas lists smart thermostats, keyless entry systems and doorbells with video capability as the most appreciated smart devices for potential homebuyers, since those items usually stay with the home after sale.

But sellers beware: If the smart features of a home are too complicated, that could be a turnoff for buyers who may worry they won’t understand or be able to easily transition the technology to themselves after closing, Douglas says. “It’s important that REALTORS® familiarize themselves with an easy way to transition these smart tech features so that the buyer still views them as a bonus instead of a hassle,” she says.

iStock.com/anilyanik/vladwel

Learn about RRC Smart Home Certification at crs.com/learn/certifications.

any carpeting, even in bedrooms, says Mary Anthony, CRS, with Elite Agents in Canyon Lake, Texas.

But the idea that getting rid of carpet means installing expensive wood floors has given way to tile and vinyl plank floors that are made to look like wood. “People hear vinyl and all they can picture is the rolled vinyl flooring from outdated kitchens. But luxury vinyl plank flooring is waterproof, virtually indestructible and beautiful,” Anthony says. “It’s a strong selling factor to have removed old flooring and replaced it with something they know is a good-quality floor.”

THE REVIEWS ARE IN

Just one review on your Google My Business page nearly doubles the number of Google searches your business appears in, compared to those with no reviews. It’s a piece of data uncovered in a new study from real estate search platform Homesnap and Google: “One review nets an agent a 71% increase in profile views and a 122% lift in actions. It goes without saying, the more reviews, generally the better the performance.”

After considering many factors, the report concludes that having reviews on a Google My Business page is the No. 1 thing an agent can do to increase the number of searches they appear in.

That said, review ratings count, too. Agents with an average review rating of 4.0 or better appear in 350% more searches than agents with an average review rating of 0–3. In addition, 4.0 agents received 300% more actions than those with a review rating of 0–3.

The Homesnap study points to a correlation between review timing and high search visibility because Google’s algorithm looks for freshness.

“If you don’t have a review in the past 90 days, you’ll receive roughly half the number of indirect searches as agents who do have a recent review,” the report says.

BY THE NUMBER S

40%

40%

35% 30%

86 %

25% 20% 15%

Percentage of consumers who read reviews for local businesses (including 95% of people aged 18–34)

Percentage of consumers who only take into account reviews written within the past two weeks Up from 18% last year

10% 5% 0

continued on page 8 

Source: Bright Local-2018 Review Survey

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BEAUTY

on the inside 

continued from page 7

It’s also less expensive than a real wood floor, since the material itself costs less and doesn’t require underlayment or specialized installation.

Go gray

An uptick in TV design shows featuring natural, neutral finishes means many homebuyers are looking for a place where they can make their mark. Light-gray paints offer a bright feeling with endless design potential, Anthony says. “Gray goes with absolutely

everything, and it’s a very neutral color that a homeowner can blend into their existing interior design,” she says. “People are looking for wide-open spaces with neutral palates so they can add their personal touch.”

That’s the thing to keep in mind, Douglas says—no matter what you do to improve a home’s interiors, buyers need to be able to picture themselves happily living there. “The ability to make it their own is the real trend,” Anthony says.

Listing an on-trend, beautiful home?

Make sure your photos do it justice with our Photography Series eLearning courses.

Search “photography” in the education catalog at CRS.com/learn.

TRENDING NOW

Expect these trendy changes as we head into 2020: ÄÄ Colorful kitchen appliances: After years as the only real appliance option, silver stainless steel is making way for other options, including black stainless and even colorful, ’50s-style retro looks. ÄÄ Matte black fixtures: Again, goodbye silver—look for less shiny, darker materials, especially for kitchen and bathroom fixtures.

ÄÄ Velvet: Nothing beats the texture of this delightful fabric for furniture. ÄÄ Color saturation: All those gray walls may call for some bright complementary colors in furniture, accent walls or other accessories. ÄÄ Glass room dividers: What better way to create an open, airy environment than using only glass and steel to separate living spaces?

GADGET INSPECTOR You can now sing in the shower and save water at the same time with the Kohler Moxie 2.5 gpm Showerhead. It has a Bluetooth wireless speaker built in, providing up to seven hours of music, news, podcasts or audiobooks before needing to be recharged. Remain connected up to 33 feet away. The shower head also comes equipped with 60 angled nozzles that spray water at 2.5 gallons per minute to help conserve water, along with a soft silicone sprayface that makes cleaning easy.

Price: $218.90 | us.kohler.com

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A sous-vide machine that helps make home-cooked meals taste like restaurant cuisines, the Anova Precision Cooker Nano is a must for any home chef. Bluetooth technology allows you to control temperature settings from your phone, monitoring your dish from another room. You also get access to the Anova Culinary app for recipes and guides to help with your cooking.

Price: $99.00 | anovaculinary.com

iStock.com/TheItern/EHStock/vicnt/veenaben Patel

[entry points]

GADGET INSPECTOR

POSITIVE FOCUS

PRE-SALE UPDATES AND REPAIRS When you’re marketing a home, you want prospective buyers to focus on what’s great, not what needs fixing or is in poor condition. The idea is to take attention off areas of superficial concern that buyers might otherwise focus on. Every negative adds up in the buyer’s mind, so it’s often wise to do some basic updates and repairs before the home is listed.

Kitchens and bathrooms: A kitchen ÄÄ Flooring: Carpeting should be ÄÄ

iStock.com/djvstock

or bath remodel may not be possible or practical, but some updating will help these spaces appeal to potential buyers. In many neighborhoods, upgraded and updated kitchens and baths are the norm, and anything less will be looked upon negatively. If the appliances are old and in less-thanperfect condition, replace them. An updated kitchen faucet is another nice touch that doesn’t have to cost a lot. In the bathrooms, tile flooring should be professionally cleaned and the grout sealed. If the tile is in bad shape, replacing it with new, basic tile will make it a nonissue. Here, too, an updated faucet is a good choice.

Replace the shower curtain with a neutral style or better yet, remove it altogether for a tidier appearance.

This will make the bathroom look larger, too.

cleaned and in good condition. If it’s worn and stained, the best choice is to simply replace it. The same goes for kitchen flooring—if it’s in bad shape, new flooring is the way to go.

In some cases it can be installed right over the existing floor. Replacement flooring doesn’t have to be top quality; the most important thing is that it looks good and won’t draw negative attention.

For those who tend to still prefer using a pen and paper, there’s now a solution to clutter and volume of paper.

The Rocketbook Everlast is a notebook that you can reuse endlessly. It looks and feels like a normal notebook, but it’s connected to all of your favorite cloud sources. With any pen from the Pilot Frixion line, you can write down your thoughts and notes and then instantly upload them for convenient storage. If you’re looking for more space to write, just add a bit of water and you can erase it all instantly, freeing up pages for the future.

Price: $34.00 getrocketbook.com

Outside: Outdoors, replace any ÄÄ

missing or damaged fence boards.

It may be obvious that they’ve been replaced, but that’s preferable to leaving the fence in bad shape. Plants should be trimmed and weeds pulled.

A thick application of bark mulch will make planting areas look clean and neat instead of looking like a mess the new owner will have to deal with.

As you well know, one of the first impressions you want a buyer to have is, “It looks like this home has been well taken care of.” Better-looking homes can mean better offers for your clients and happier buyers, which will reflect well on you, too.

This article was provided by Pillar To Post Home Inspectors.

For more information, go to pillartopost.com.

Monitor the temperature of up to three locations on your property at once with the ThermoPro TP65 Indoor Outdoor Thermometer. The large display and blue backlight make it easy to determine the temperature in your home. The thermometer is equipped with a touchscreen interface and it can display all-time high/low temperatures for your area.

Price: $26.99 buythermopro.com

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[entry points]

BUSINESS? Despite some credit and recession qualms, few view credit tightening as an imminent threat to REALTORS®

By David Tobenkin

Inside Track



THREE LOCAL VIEWS

1 2 3

what’s trending in real estate

Signature Reamer Realty, LLC, in South Florida.

“There was no warning.”

Some recent developments have raised similar credit-related concerns among some REALTORS® and borrowers. In March, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) raised eyebrows throughout the residential real estate industry, when, responding to increasing borrower and mortgage risks, it reinstituted the manual underwriting requirements for some riskier loans that it had

“I am not hearing of any credit or recession fears in our market—I am actually more concerned than my clients are about a recession. I do chat with them about how quickly and aggressively our market has appreciated, and I also share with them that some appraisers are [giving appraisals with values lower than the agreed-upon sales price]. Still, overall, credit is a lot tighter than prior to 2008, when anyone could get a mortgage.”

REALTORS express a variety of views on the availability and quality of credit as well as the threat of a recession. ®

These are boom times for many REALTORS®, but boom times can end quickly when homebuyer credit dries up.

Renee Reamer, CRS, was working in Baltimore during the Great Recession and remembers what happened to the local real estate market. “There were excessive offers for properties, and all of a sudden it came to a halt and it was all credit-related, the result of lenders in trouble,” says Reamer, a broker with

—Mary Sherer, CRS, broker/owner at RE/MAX Crossroads in Fort Wayne, Indiana

“The lending rules seem to have loosened a lot over the last year, possibly reflecting changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which had previously made it very hard for borrowers to get loans [after the 2007–09 financial crisis]. I have not had problems with a lot of loans getting turned down. Actually, many buyers have been deterred because they believe credit is tighter than it really is. And I have not had one client mention a concern about a recession.”

—Michael Inman, CRS, Coldwell Banker agent serving Lexington, Kentucky, and surrounding areas

“If they ask, we tell clients that while there are rumors of a recession in the next year or two, we REALTORS® don’t see any signs of one. The market here is booming.”

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—Renee Reamer, CRS, broker with Signature Reamer Realty, LLC, who represents luxury properties in South Florida

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iStock.com/William_Potter

risky

removed in 2016. The net effect is that some buyers, who would have easily qualified for credit under automated underwriting, will now likely have to work harder to get a loan.

And there is additional evidence of some loan quality weakening. Some classes of residential lenders have seen substantial upticks in their risk profile in the last year, according to the Urban Institute’s Housing Policy Finance Center’s latest Housing Credit Availability Index (HCAI) update, which was released in April 2019. It measured the percentage of owner-occupied home purchase loans that were likely to default as of Q4 2018. In the portfolio and private-label securities (PP) channel of lenders, which includes banks and independent mortgage companies, total risk was 3.1% in Q4 2018, marking the highest level of risk since 2012.

So based on the credit forecast, are there choppy waters ahead for agents?

Default Risk Taken by the Mortgage Market 1998 Q1–2018 Q4

A relatively reassuring big picture

David Tobenkin is a journalist in the greater Washington, D.C., area.

Even with lenders offering loans to less creditworthy borrowers, credit conditions and lending standards are far stronger than in the heady days prior to the Great Recession, when speculators abounded and some lenders required little or no ability for borrowers to repay their loans.

That makes a sharp correction like that of 2007 unlikely for the foreseeable future.

The Urban Institute’s fourth quarter 2018 HCAI showed that while overall mortgage credit availability increased to 5.85% (up from 5.75% in the previous quarter), that figure is still dramatically lower than the 16.5% in 2006.

“You could double the current default risk across all channels, and the risk would still be well within the pre-crisis standard of 12.5% from 2001 to 2003 for the whole mortgage market,” says Sheryl Pardo, a spokesperson for the Urban Institute. She says that in the current market, further extension of credit would be appropriate to enable more homebuying by buyers who cannot currently qualify. “Right now there is zero product risk—use of risky products like loans with balloon payments and no-document loans.”

“Credit conditions have been improving based on a variety of credit indicators we track, although the level of outstanding mortgages is still below the 2008 level,” says Gay Cororaton, a research economist at the National Association of REALTORS®. “If there are lender concerns about

Percent 18

Reasonable lending standards

16 14 12

Total default risk

Product Risk

10 8 6 4

Borrower Risk

2

19 98 19 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07 20 08 20 09 20 10 20 11 20 12 20 13 20 14 20 15 20 16 20 17 20 18

0

Sources: eMBS, CoreLogic, HMDA, IMF, and Urban Institute

the state of the economy and credit quality, we are not seeing any downturns yet in credit availability, there is no overextension of credit and delinquency rates are low.”

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OCU ON

S

MARKETING

BACK TO THE Window

ofOpportunity

future

To escape the overcrowded digital space, some agents use traditional marketing techniques for stronger brand recognition and client relationships

strategies to grow your business

By Regina Ludes



Erin Daum, a CRS with RE/MAX Palm in Port Charlotte, Florida, is always willing to try new marketing techniques for her real estate business. Just don’t ask her to give up her handwritten notes to clients. “I call them my ‘labor of love.’ They are time-consuming to write, but they leave a lasting impression,” Daum says.

She prefers mailing calendars, postcards and handwritten notes because they are more personable than digital tools. “Digital marketing may not be warm and fuzzy for some people. Traditional marketing allows me to develop trusting relationships with clients,” Daum says.

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Digital marketing may dominate the real estate marketplace, but agents like Daum still believe the personal approach of traditional marketing does a better job of building client trust. As the online space becomes more crowded with Facebook ads, podcasts and video content, many agents have returned to their traditional roots. They’re quickly rediscovering that traditional tools like direct mail, newsletters and personal visits can be a smart investment of time and money to build trusting client relationships for the long term.

The comeback kid

“Traditional marketing is coming back,” says Kelly Bosetti, founder and owner of CEA Marketing in Clearwater, Florida. “As more companies spend money on digital marketing,

iStock.com/Vaniatos/Grassetto

F

[entry points]

traditional ads are getting noticed more because sale. She says her annual print and digital costs are roughly the same. there’s less competition,” she says.

Traditional marketing is especially effective for creating brand awareness, Bosetti adds.

Simple and authentic Postcard mailings and billboards can do a better “Old-school marketing is from a time when peojob of promoting a novice agent’s business or a ple kept things simple, personal and authentic,” new real estate development. Agents don’t share says Sarah Lauren Kattos, CRS, an associate advertising space in traditional media with as broker with Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson many other agents. It’s easier to get noticed by Properties, Inc., in Huntsville, Alabama. Develbuyers when you have an entire billboard to oping strong client relationships is the hallmark yourself. Plus many traditional channels are less of old-school marketing, adds Kattos, who still expensive than they used to be so they are more relies on direct mail to send clients sales and accessible for businesses with limited budgets. listing data with homeownership anniversary Critics argue that traditional marketing is notices. “They remain relevant in maintaining more costly, time-consuming and difficult to relationships we’ve already built up personally.” measure ROI while digital offers an immediate She supplements traditional direct mail with delivery of a message and is capable of more email marketing and social media, which are accurately measuring results. But agents like customized with the assistance of a CRM provider Daum say successful real estate businesses that so her clients get her message and not one the are built on referrals and strong relationships provider generates for her. “Authenticity is the key, take time. Money isn’t a big issue either. Though no matter what technology you use,” Kattos says. print can be pricey, Daum keeps costs down by “It always surprises me when people tell me purchasing printing in bulk and when it’s on continued on page 14 

“TRADITIONAL MARKETING ALLOWS ME TO DEVELOP TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS.” —Erin Daum, CRS

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they read my newsletter,” says Kay Hunt, CRS, managing broker with Imagine Home Realty in Vancouver, Washington, who sends the monthly newsletter by mail. “Sometimes I think that my clients feel the newsletter is outdated. But when I considered sending a digital version by email, they told me not to. They were more likely to read it if it was sent by mail.”

Hunt visits clients twice a year, with each visit lasting a few minutes to an hour. The social calls give her a chance to find out what’s happening in her clients’ lives. “Since my business is built on relationships, I try to nurture them as best I can,” she says.

Not every tactic in isolation has worked successfully for Hunt. After experiencing fewer responses than anticipated with direct mail, she followed up with a drop-by visit six months later. Now she gets better results. “When I walk door to door, people ask questions about the market or about selling their home. It gets a conversation started. But you can’t do one thing by itself,” Hunt says.

Mixed media

MIX AND MATCH

Kelly Bosetti, founder and CEO of CEA Marketing, says mixing traditional and digital marketing can reap huge benefits for your real estate business. The key is to uniquely tell your story and reuse content to get more value from your media buy. Here’s a look at several possible combinations.

Postcard mailers geotargeting With each postcard mailing, a geotargeted message can be sent to homeowners’ smartphones with the same message.

Billboards geotargeting Billboards in high traffic areas are viewed by hundreds of people every day. As people pass by, a geotargeted ad can appear on their smartphone, reinforcing your marketing message.

Newspapers online ads Many newspapers have an online edition and a subscriber email list. Try negotiating for an advertising package for all three components for added value. Plus, newspaper ads may be more affordable than they used to be.

Magazines digital content Magazines reach niche audiences with specific interests like home decorating or fine dining. But they also have multiple digital components. Ask how you can reach their readers through their social media, website content or digital editions.

Radio streaming ads For more exposure, buy ads for both broadcast and online spots. If your budget is tight, some radio stations may produce your spot for free. If it’s a great spot, buy additional placement on Pandora, Spotify and YouTube, or through popular podcasts.

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Combining traditional and digital techniques creates a more impactful marketing message, Bosetti says. Billboard ads located in high traffic areas are viewed by hundreds of people every day. When combined with a geotargeted ad on a buyer’s smartphone, the billboards can boost brand recognition exponentially. She recommends agents split their marketing budget equally between digital and traditional, then choose different techniques that work best for their targeted buyer.

Both Hunt and Daum have added digital twists to their traditional marketing. Hunt combines email, video and Facebook for a monthly trivia contest. Every person who answers the emailed trivia question is entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card, which is recorded on video and posted on the company’s Facebook page. Daum hosts a traditional year-end client appreciation event where clients receive their Christmas cards and a fresh-baked pie. She uses the digital platform Evite to invite clients to the event and sets up an event page on Facebook.

Real estate will always be a relationship-based business. Traditional marketing can position CRS-designated agents to stand out from the digital crowd and establish long-term connections with clients.

Regina Ludes is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

The Council offers many marketing eLearning bundles, from six to 16 credits. Search our catalog at CRS.com/learn.

KEY WORDS

WHAT’S COOKING? The kitchen is the place where everyone gathers. It’s the heart of the party, the center of activity. The kitchen also influences a home’s selling price—sometimes boosting the sale price by 30% or more, according to a 2018 Zillow report.

To find this stat, Zillow analyzed listing descriptions for nearly 4 million homes nationwide that sold between January 2016 and December 2017.

Next, the real-estate firm examined how listing keywords that refer to home features impact sale price and days on the market. Six of the top 10 keywords that most significantly affect home price refer to the kitchen.

Commanding the top spot among all keywords is “steam oven,” sometimes boosting the sale price by 34.1% beyond expectations.

iStock.com/bernardbodo/Gregory_DUBUS/Tom Merton/adventtr/jodiejohnson/ozgurcoskun

However, Zillow adds, listings that mention “steam oven” also stayed on the market 22 days longer than similar homes without this kitchen appliance.

Here are the 10 listing keywords and the percentage by which these features may increase a home’s sale price.

% premium above the expected sale price 1 Steam oven

34.1 % boost

2 Professional appliance 32.3% boost 3 Wine cellar

31.4 % boost

4 Steam shower

30.7 % boost

5 Pot filler

27.5 % boost

6 Shed/Garage studio

26.5 % boost

7 Heated floor

26.2% boost

8 Waterfall countertop 26.0% boost 9 Outdoor kitchen

24.5 % boost

10 Prep sink

24.1 % boost

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KIM ATKINSON, CRS

Peer to Peer profiles of people to watch

How did you familiarize yourself with your market?

I grew up in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Just like a lot of places, buyers here are looking for affordable new construction, but most builders can’t afford to build a single-family house that sells for less than $300,000.

So there are more multi-use developments now. When I was growing up, there was only one townhome development in the area, but now they’re everywhere. The great thing is that all generations seem to be attracted to them.

Townhouses require little or no maintenance, and buyers can afford to get into them.

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When I went to my first Sell-a-bration, I remember I was surrounded by so many successful agents, and I loved the sense of family they shared.

What are the things buyers are looking for in your community?

I think this town really appeals to young families.

We have some historic areas called “Old Town Mechanicsville” and Ashland, and more and more communities that have walkability to restaurants and shopping. People are increasingly attracted to the suburban parts of the community. We have lower taxes than in Richmond, yet we can still drive into the city to work or play. We are in Hanover County, which has award-winning schools, and it’s also close to the city, airport and interstates.

We have rural land as well, including the option of larger lots, and we are attractive to people who want a tight-knit neighborhood feel.

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Do you have a special interest or strength when it comes to your business?

I enjoy working with buyers.

I especially like working with first-time homebuyers—they are so excited to own for the first time. Plus, they don’t consider themselves “experts” because they’ve sold one house. If I have done a good job for them, they still remember that excitement a couple of years later when they want to move up, and they give me a call.

What does your marketing plan look like?

I’m sure everyone in this business is doing the same thing: We focus on past clients and tap into a strong referral client base. Integrity, honesty and knowledge go a long way, and if we demonstrate that with all of our clients, then they refer friends and family to us—the work speaks for itself. And it’s important to stay in front of everyone. A lot of clients come from our sphere of influence or are past clients, and, of course, we get some “cold.”

How is your digital marketing working?

We are so fortunate to have a social media administrative assistant. We’ve been successful at attracting people to our website by posting homeowner tips, such as the color of the year, how to get the house ready for summer and upcoming community events. Because no one is in the market for a house all the time, this kind of information is useful to any homeowner or potential buyer or seller, and it draws people to our page.

A number of CRSs are involved in a variety of community activities. Is that something you participate in?

Oh, yes. I have committed to donating a portion of every commission to Children’s Miracle Network. I am also a member of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce, and I serve on the Ronald McDonald House Charities Richmond Junior Board.

What do you do for fun?

I like to run. I am involved in a community running group and I also coach other runners. Also, I have two young girls at home who keep me busy. My husband, Mark, and I like to travel with the girls, even if we just drive a couple of hours away to see a new town. We’ve done more urban travel rather than hiking or outdoorsy stuff because it is much easier with the kids.

We’ll go to Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston—and just walk around. We have fun doing touristy things and seeing new sights.

Kim Atkinson, CRS, achieved CRS Designation in 2017. She can be reached at katkinson. realtor@ gmail.com or 804-512-2481.

Photo/Adam Auel

How did you become a CRS? My mother-in-law has been involved with the Council for years, and when I began my career in real estate, my teammate and mentor was on the leadership team for RRC. I was so impressed with both of them and how they conducted business. When I went to my first Sell-abration, I remember I was surrounded by so many successful agents, and I loved the sense of family that they shared. Everyone seemed to care for one another and wanted to see each other succeed.

Kim Atkinson, CRS, at the Ronald McDonald House CharitiesÂŽ of Richmond (RMHC Richmond). RMHC Richmond provides a home away from home and in-hospital support services for families with children receiving care at local medical facilities. Atkinson serves on the RMHC Richmond Junior Board, and the Richmond RRC group volunteers there.

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PACK A A well-balanced, interrelated mix of digital marketing tactics creates a relevant and impactful strategy to engage online leads and increase conversions

By Donna Shryer

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According to a 2018 Nielsen report, American adults spend more than 11 hours daily listening to, watching, reading and generally interacting with digital media. If everyone’s camped out online, then that’s where you want to funnel a significant percentage of your marketing budget.

Digital marketing also comes with an added bonus. Analytics software makes it easy to measure your ROI. Metrics tell you if you’re meeting top digital marketing objectives such as: ÄÄIncreased lead generation/conversions ÄÄImproved brand awareness ÄÄIncreased web traffic ÄÄImproved online user experience— from desktop to tablet to smartphone ÄÄImproved data quality ÄÄIncreased sales

MARKETING BUDGET

STRATEGY

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Going up? Yup!

Tim Brown, owner of Minneapolis-based marketing firm Hook Agency, recently sent a strong message on his blog (hookagency.com/blog): “According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 7% to 8% of your gross revenue should be spent on marketing. Half of that marketing budget should be dedicated to digital marketing in 2019. Seem a little high? Well, in 2020 it should be 55%. The average company is spending 35% of its marketing budget on digital campaigns, and that’s not enough. The average company is stuck three years in the past.”

Land the lingo

If you plan to move forward with an appropriate digital marketing budget, it’s a good idea to revisit digital marketing terminology—so you can confidently walk the talk.

Digital marketing strategy: Strategy is about selecting general, broad digital channels to help engage, convert and retain clients. “Your strategy might be to use social media and search advertising to acquire leads, but pass on online advertising,” explains Peter Prestipino, digital marketing campaign manager at Antenna Group, a national integrated marketing agency with a real estate industry focus.

Digital marketing tactics: Tactics drill down to specifics. For example, your strategy may be social media while your tactic might be to post a new video on Facebook every Wednesday at 11 a.m. that links back to your website.

There’s overlap between strategy and tactics, but it’s essential that you understand the nuances of both, Prestipino says. “Strategy is the overall plan and tactics are the means used to achieve the plan. Strategy, in effect, governs tactical execution.”

Strategizing tactical action

Common digital strategy channels include: 4. Paid online marketing 1. Website 5. Email 2. Social media—paid and free 3. Paid search engine marketing 6. Video

We’ll take a closer look at each of these channels, including specific tactics that can be employed for maximum effect within each channel. Tactics seem to be changing at the speed of light, so a finite list would likely be out of date by next week. Instead, turn the page for a series of examples to get your creativity humming.

Each tactic starts with a basic approach, segues into intermediate actions, and closes with what’s cutting-edge.

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Your digital marketing strategy’s home base is your website. All tactics lead here and most leads convert here.

And there's room for improvement on even the most advanced websites. For example, here’s a slice of advice from Carrot, an online lead-generation system for real estate professionals.

The “About Us” page on real estate websites is the third most-viewed page. So, “About Us” needs to reach beyond business jargon. “People want to work with people who believe in and stand for things similar to them,” Trevor Mauch, Carrot CEO, writes in his blog (trevormauch.com/blog).

In response, routinely freshen your “About Us” page to ensure it’s accurate, on-trend with website design best practices and emotionally engaging. It should provide visitors with your unique brand story, statistics they may find useful and, most importantly, your contact information.

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of American adults still use Facebook, but the gap is closing. Today

37 % 28 % 27 %

use Instagram,

THREE CHANNELS

are on Pinterest,

network on LinkedIn and

22%

Multichannel digital marketing includes three distinct types of digital marketing channels: owned, earned and paid.

tweet on Twitter.

Source: Pew Research Center

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1. Owned channels include those that you or someone you hired created, over which you have sole ownership, control and responsibility.

Owned channels include: ÄÄ Your website, including text, images and unique content, such as blogs, videos, webinars, podcasts and company news ÄÄ Email marketing campaigns and the client profile database used to disseminate email touchpoints ÄÄ Your social media posts

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2 Social Media Marketing The Pew Research Center estimates that 72% of U.S. adults have at least one social media profile and the average American claims three. So, to max out your digital presence, head to the social media landscape.

Basic: Establish a free Facebook business page with all posts linking back to your website. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults (69%) use Facebook, according to the Pew Research Center.

Intermediate: You can certainly purchase a sponsored Facebook ad, but there’s also a cost-free way to magnify your Facebook presence, says Dan Brun, REALTOR® with RE/MAX American Dream.

Brun joined and frequently posts on multiple Facebook group pages focused on his market—Marshfield, Wisconsin.

“That brings a lot of exposure and more ‘likes,’ and I respond to every one with a thank-you instant message. It takes time, but the payoff is big,” he says.

Advanced: Use every shred of analytics a

social media platform provides. Then drill down even deeper with A/B testing to improve your measurements.

For example, post once a day for one week on your Facebook business page. Next week, post three times daily. At the end of your A/B test, measure user engagement to find your message frequency sweet spot.

Play around with different A/B tests, such as: ÄÄPost length ÄÄPost time ÄTone Ä of voice ÄÄPosts that do and do not include numbers and lists ÄÄPosts with and without images—and if images win, test gifs vs. photographs vs. videos ÄÄPosts with links to blogs vs. videos ÄÄFacebook Live vs. video linked to your website What you choose to test depends on what you want to know, although there’s one nonnegotiable point. “If you don’t measure reactions and responses to your social media posts, it’s all a shot in the dark and not worth doing,” says Brian Ladd, CRS, principal broker with Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty, serving central Oregon.

“IF YOU DON’T MEASURE REACTIONS AND RESPONSES TO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, IT’S ALL A SHOT IN THE DARK AND NOT WORTH DOING.” —Brian Ladd, CRS

Social Media 2.0:

The original social media landscape looks different today.

Although Facebook remains the dominant player, the Pew Research Center reports that the gap is closing (see By the Numbers on page 20). That makes it important to broadcast posts across multiple social media platforms. You can invest in a social media management tool, such as Hootsuite, or you can manage posts without the expense. Anna May, CRS, broker/ owner of Realty World Neighbors, serving San Francisco East Bay, says, “I manage social media through Instagram, which lets me automatically and simultaneously syndicate posts across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter,” she says.

2. Earned media: This is digital coverage about you and your brand that you cannot control—since it’s posted on websites you do not own. Think of earned media as digital word-of-mouth.

Earned channels include: ÄÄ Media coverage that mentions you or your brand ÄÄ Social media replies and reposts of your content, or references on social media to your brand ÄÄ Reviews, testimonials and ratings of you or your brand on third-party websites such as Google, Yelp, Zillow or Realtor.com

3. Paid media: These digital channels, as implied, come with a cost. Paid media’s primary goal is to drive users to your website.

Paid channels include: ÄÄ Paid online advertising, such as banner ads ÄÄ Paid search marketing (SEM), also called paid search advertising. SEM, such as pay-per-click (PPC) and Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords), allows you to purchase top placement in search engine results

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3 Paid Search Engine Marketing Google reports that search engine marketing (SEM), also known as pay-per-click (PPC) ads, can boost brand awareness by 80%. So, what is this tactic that delivers such remarkable results?

SEM helps your website secure one of the top few spots on page one of the search results. Create a text-only ad with keywords your ideal client would likely use to search for a REALTOR® like you.

Since REALTORS® typically choose identical keywords, you declare how much you’re willing to pay every time someone clicks your sponsored ad. A higher bid increases search results placement.

Basic: “Search engine marketing is like walking into a room filled with people all looking to buy or sell a home in your market,” Prestipino says. “And since Google Ads is the dominant player, it’s a good place to start.”

However, Prestipino adds, PPC ads are costly if you skip testing.

Fortunately, Google Ads makes it relatively easy to test click-through rates, keyword quality, conversion rates and additional measurements that reveal your search engine marketing ROI so you can make improvements.

With Google Ads you can view a variety of metrics, including the number of clicks and the cost.

Intermediate: While Google commands 77% of market share among search engines, you might want to test the waters with Bing’s paid search advertising, called Bing Webmaster Tools.

Did you know that Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana search Bing? Siri uses Google for web searches, Bing for image searches and YouTube for video searches.

Advanced: Bundle PPC search advertising

with PPC display advertising for twice the bang.

This combo is called remarketing, also known as retargeting or behavioral retargeting. It targets a defined audience that previously interacted with your website but didn’t convert. As this population roams around the internet, your display ads pop up.

It can take months to convert a casual site visitor, Ladd says. “You need a remarketing strategy to stay in front of these folks and engage them for as long as it takes.”

REALTORS® expanding into an international market might want to dig deeper into global SEM. For example, Baidu is one of the leading internet companies in China, and Yandex is the largest search engine in Russia, with an impressive 65% market share.

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Paid Search Advertising 2.0:

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4 Paid Online Marketing Unlike text-only paid search marketing, paid online advertising relies on display ads bedazzled with photography, video and graphics to communicate a message.

Like paid search marketing, paid online marketing follows the pay-perclick formula and always points the user to your website.

According to the social commerce platform Curalate, 52% of American consumers have at some point been interested in a product or service featured in a display ad placed in the righthand side margin of their Facebook news page.

Basic: Generally, REALTORS® are already comfortable with social

media advertising, whether it’s a free post on your business page, a sponsored ad that resembles a post or a display ad. Let’s take basic up a notch with boosted Facebook posts.

Post on your Facebook business page and then click the blue “Boost Post” button. This button pushes your post to a desired target audience, such as U.S. Facebook users ages 18 to 29. Payment depends on how many Facebook users within your defined demographic will see your boosted post. Pay more, reach more.

The "Boost Post" button is located in the lower-right corner of the post you want to boost.

Intermediate: The time has come to make sure that your marketing and website are optimized to enhance the smartphone or tablet mobile experience. According to the Irish digital marketing firm Wolfgang Digital, 53% of a brand’s website traffic originates from research conducted on mobile devices. The moral of the story is that mobile digital advertising is not repurposed digital desktop advertising.

Advanced: Just as remarketing strengthens paid search market-

ing, this tactic also empowers paid online marketing. “If someone clicks your Facebook post or a banner ad, moves to your website but doesn’t register, you need to remarket to this Digital person with relevant display ads,” Prestipino says. advertising is taking on a new look—or sound! In a 2019 If still unsure about remarketing’s power, survey of the digital media consumer, Infinite Dial research consider this from Michigan-based Invesp, reports that 51% of the U.S. population has listened to provider of e-commerce conversion rate optia podcast—up from 44% in 2018. What’s more, podcast mization software: The average click-through listeners don’t mind promo spots; they even pay attention! rate for general PPC ads is 0.07%; click-through Maybe it’s time to debut your own podcast, with some rates for remarketed ads jump 10 times greater. self-promoting, or advertise your brand on another podcast.

Paid Online Marketing 2.0:

How to Decide Between Facebook's Three Major Ad Placements 1. Desktop News Feed Used for conversions and high engagement.

2

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2. Desktop Right Column Reserve for retargeting and remarketing to brand-aware people.

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3. Mobile Use primarily for driving discovery and brand awareness.

Source: kissmetrics

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Chatbots, influencers, social media, videos, podcasts … every time you get comfortable with one digital communication format there’s a new kid on the block. So does the grandfather of them all—email—still belong in the mix?

According to the Direct Marketing Association, you bet. Email marketing on average sees a 4,300% ROI for businesses in the U.S.

Basic: The new-normal email strategy is based on skillfully built and meticulously managed lists of those who gave you permission to email them.

Email service providers, such as Constant Contact and Mail Chimp, help you create engaging personalized emails and e-newsletters, manage contacts, measure performance and, last but never least, keep your emails out of spam folders.

Intermediate:

While an email campaign opens doors, be prepared to switch communication channels on a dime, says Joe Epifanio, CRS, associate broker with Premiere Plus Realty, serving the Naples, Florida, market. “You’ll learn how people want to communicate. I don’t care if they prefer carrier pigeons, texts, emails or phone calls, I’m ready to adjust.”

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your open and click-through rates.  Video: According to MarTech Advisor, a source for marketing technology news, adding a video to an email can increase click rates by 300%. Syndacast, an international digital marketing agency, adds that simply putting “video” in your email subject line can increase open and click-through rates by 19% and 65%, respectively. ÄÄPersonal touch: Enlist a service’s expertise to personalize emails per contact. Netflix is a pro at this, emailing you only hours after you finish watching one TV show with suggestions for other shows to enjoy. ÄÄStand for something: Routinely send emails that link your brand to a cause you believe in and work for. Data from Morning Consult, a national research and brand-tracking technology company, reports that millennials in particular increasingly connect with brands that project values in public and online. ÄÄSurprise and delight: As a REALTOR®, your first instinct may be to base your email campaign around new listings. Eventually though, your database will likely become numb to your emails—always expecting one more pretty property listing. “Our emails go beyond selling,” Epifanio says. “Sometimes we promote a new video or blog on our website. Sometimes we provide solutions and information, which makes us a valued resource instead of only a real estate agent.”

May emails a monthly newsletter with listings as well as news about her market. “No two emails are alike,” she says.

Email Marketing 2.0:

Constant Contact allows you to customize colors, fonts and more to match your brand's look and feel.

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Advanced: Adding eye candy to your email may sweeten

An advanced version of the original email is a video format, which Epifanio uses to “humanize” his email. He currently uses BombBomb, an email marketing and automation tool with video capabilities. The platform allows you to record, send and track personalized video emails.

Pushing the personalization element even further, Epifanio often holds a small whiteboard in front of the camera with the words, “Hi, NAME GOES HERE.” “There is no doubt that this is a personal video email,” he says.

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6 Video Marketing

Basic: Having mastered property listing and walk-through videos hosted on your website or YouTube channel, do you also post teasers for these videos on your social media business page? According to Brightcove, an online video hosting platform, 53% of consumers engage with a brand after viewing one of their videos on social media. The figure increases to 66% for millennials. Facebook is the leader in sponsored video ads, and exactly like its Link Click ads, Facebook video ads send people to landing pages on your business website.

Intermediate: Get creative with different video topics beyond properties, such as testimonials, tips about how to select a REALTOR®, why a home inspector is important, what a first-time homebuyer needs to know, etc. Host videos on your website or YouTube channel, and then try different ways to promote those videos, including social media, search advertising, display ads and email.

As always, creativity is great—but unless you analyze which video topics resonate with your database and where they choose to watch your videos, what’s the point?

Here’s something in particular that May strongly suggests you test. “According to Sprout Social, 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound,” she says. “So, make sure your video has text overlays, captions and bold, graphic words. I’m not saying to ignore sound, but try watching your video without it. Does your message still come through?”

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Advanced: Once you feel

comfortable behind the camera, step away from “talking head” videos and add action. Film your neighborhood—showing rather than talking about the wealth of parks, cultural attractions and jogging tracks. Epifanio loves action-packed videos, so he purchased a green screen. This lets him shoot in the office, in front of the screen, and add lively neighborhood footage later.

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HubSpot, national developer of sales, marketing and service software products, states that 54% of Americans prefer video content from a brand or business they support. In addition, 39% of Americans say they’re more likely to remember branded video content—with photo content coming in at 37% and branded written content landing at 20%.

Host your videos on your website or YouTube, then promote them through various communications channels, such as social media or email.

Staying agile

Every day, digital marketing brings new options to promote your brand, but that’s not what excites digital marketers most. As Prestipino explains, “What’s so beautiful about digital marketing is that it’s measurable. Measuring is so integral to direct marketing that we have a name for it—agile marketing. It comes from the fact that analytics give you measurements, and once you see what’s happening, you have to be agile enough to make adjustments.”

Here’s another strong point in favor of agile marketing: The practice makes your team happier. According to research conducted by Marketing Insider Group, which conducts digital content-based workshops, 87% of agile CMOs find their teams more satisfied, loyal, innovative and productive after transitioning to agile marketing.

Donna Shryer is a freelance writer based in Chicago.

Meet your Designation Maintenance today! Read this article and Ready for My Close Up on p.26, take a 10-question quiz and earn 2 credits. Go to CRS.com/trs-quiz to get started.

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Using staging to enhance a home’s visual appeal

By Myrna Traylor

iStock.com: digitalgenetics/dalton00/anurakpong/ Nadiinko

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It is a given that listing agents ask sellers to tidy up their homes to make them more attractive to potential buyers. In cases where the home is clutter-free and has salable décor, getting the property ready to market is a breeze.

There are times, though, when agents have to dig a little deeper and rely on staging to make homes look their best.

According to the NAR’s 2019 Profile of Home Staging, more than 80% of REALTORS® say that staged houses help buyers see them as homes.

“With the current market, staging has become the best way to set a listing apart and get it under contract faster than the average days on the market,” says Erin Daum, CRS, with RE/MAX Palm, in Port Charlotte, Florida. “This is a service I provide to sellers when needed, and it has made a huge impact on my business.”

There are a variety of ways that REALTORS® approach staging. Some agents like to roll up their sleeves and do the staging themselves.

“My partner and I stage our own homes with furnishings and items we have purchased,” says Kelly Cahill, CRS. She and Tracey Miller, CRS candidate, of the Cahill & Miller Group with the Allen Tate Company in Fort Mill, South Carolina, take on staging duties with selected

properties. “We just started using our own pieces this January, but we have used a professional stager for consultations for the last six or seven years.”

Like anything in real estate, one has to consider the needs of the buyer market as well as the seller’s capacity to make updates. Lisa Curran Parenteau, CRS, broker associate with Lisa Sells Cape Cod at Leading Edge Real Estate in Mashpee, Massachusetts, says that buyers in her area have certain expectations. “I live in a resort and vacation market, so buyers are typically looking for a home that has a Cape Cod look, feel and vibe,” she says. “We actually use what we call ‘styling’ on every listing. I have an amazingly talented listing coordinator on my team, and she continues to grow her inventory of ‘beachy’ decorating items. We know that this differentiates us from many other real estate agents in our market. And it surely differentiates the appearance of the professional photos of our listings and therefore the quality of the service we can provide to our clients.”

Betty Bell Gauze, CRS, of Team Gauze with The Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group in Champaign, Illinois, also prefers to handle the staging. “We have our own staging props

BY THE NUMBER S The percentage of survey respondents who said that for buyers, the living room is the most important room for staging:

47 %

The percentage who said the most important room for staging is the master bedroom:

42 %

The percentage who said the most important room for staging is the kitchen:

35 %

Source: 2019 NAR Profile of Home Staging

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perfect practice

[feature]

and have never done virtual,” she says, but she selects which homes need design help. “We do touches in many vacant houses. We have done table settings with chairs and area rugs, but have never needed to haul in big pieces.

We choose to accent rooms within a home with differing colors and themes, perhaps catching the eye—and the heart—of a buyer who loves water colors or another buyer who prefers earthy touches or even a cultural flair piece. Buyers inquire if the duckling-themed kids’ bath décor or the stone-look master décor can be included in the purchase! A seller years ago said her home was ‘all adult space.’ We brought in a few kid-oriented items to appeal to the child in all of us, including books, toys, a child-sized rocker, Clifford the Big Red Dog or a lovable stuffed Dachshund!”

BY THE NUMBER S The percentage of sellers’ agents who personally offered to stage the home:

26 %

The percentage of sellers who paid the cost of staging a home before the home was listed:

18 %

The percentage of sellers’ agents who offered a home staging service to sellers:

17 %

The median dollar value spent on home staging:

400

$

iStock.com/anurakpong

Source: 2019 NAR Profile of Home Staging

BEFORE

listings. “This includes our listings that are still occupied by the sellers. For them, we hire a staging consultant to meet with the sellers for a couple of hours and advise them on what to remove and what needs to be moved where.”

For those homes that need full staging, May shoots a video walkthrough and sends it to several stagers to get competitive bids. Since the sellers will be paying for the staging, they can make an informed choice regarding cost.

Ladd agrees that staging should be a seller expense and only pays for staging himself in model homes, since one expenditure covers multiple sales. “I think agents need to remember their value proposition and what’s in our scope,” he says. “It’s up to the seller to bring a property up to a marketable state. Other agents in our area offer staging as part of their listing service, but I think it would be better to be out there marketing instead of moving couches around.”

Calling in the pros Other REALTORS® face different decision Listing agents might prefer to enlist professional design help rather than take that work on points, of course. Cahill and Miller say that they themselves. In some cases, the REALTOR® takes pay the fee for a seller’s staging consultation as part of their listing agreement, then the sellers on the cost as part of their listing agreement, can contract with the stager directly. “Lately, while others say they present design service though, sellers have been unwilling to pay, so options to the seller, who decides whether they we have brought in our own items,” Cahill says. want to pay for staging.

“We do staging on 10% of our listings, and not “We get our homes under contract much more quickly now.” on homes under $750,000 in this market,” says Because cost is always a concern, how do Brian Ladd, CRS, principal broker at Cascade agents decide between physical staging and Sotheby’s International Realty in Bend, Oregon. virtual staging? “Usually it is a seller decision,” In contrast, Anna May, CRS, broker/owner with Realty World Neighbors in Hayward, California, says Bruce Ailion, CRS, and attorney for RE/MAX Town and Country in Alpharetta, says they use staging for about 80% of their Georgia. “After a period of time on the market, the decision may be to stage the home to get better activity. Physical staging can cost $1,000 AFTER to $3,500 per month, with a minimum commitment. Virtual staging is $150 to $450 and it is a one-time commitment.” Ailion estimates that he covers the cost of virtual staging for roughly 70% of the vacant homes he lists.

These are examples from two virtual staging studios showing possible ways to easily fill an empty room.

Top: virtualstaginglab.com Bottom: BoxBrownie.com

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AFTER

perfect practice

iStock.com/susaro

[feature]

You need staging when: Home looks unattractive; Home is vacant/empty Staging or styling resources available A

My own items

Pros:

ÄÄ Free or low-cost if you need to hire help to move

Cons:

ÄÄ Time commitment ÄÄ Effort for setup and cleanout

Worth the work

B

A company nearby

Pros:

ÄÄ Low effort required ÄÄ Fresh, up-to-date décor suited to home and/or buyer pool

Cons:

ÄÄ Can be costly to the seller (or you) ÄÄ Might require a commitment for several weeks or months

Going through the time and effort of staging rooms in a home is reasonable when you create an emotionally resonant marketing message.

Daum says that buyer feedback on staged homes frequently includes keywords like “warm, cozy and inviting.”

Ailion uses BoxBrownie.com to enhance home photos and virtually stage his listings.

“On a $280,000 property, I was considering a $270,000 offer,” he recalls, when he sent photos to a virtual stager, then posted the images he got back. “Within several days, I had numerous showings and an offer at $284,000. A $200 investment netted $14,000 in the sales price.

Needless to say, I use BoxBrownie a lot now.”

Jeanine Soderlund, CRS, of RE/MAX Home Towne Realty in Wyckoff, New Jersey, is definitely pro-staging.

“I had one client who saw that I sold a home very quickly across the street, so he called me,” Soderlund says. After discovering that Soderlund’s staging was responsible for the fast sale, he asked her to work the same magic on his home. “I asked him why he was moving and he said the home was getting too small. So I said,

C

Digital service

Pros:

ÄÄ Relatively low-cost ÄÄ Wide selection of décor

ÄÄ Enhance rooms that are dark or hard to photograph ÄÄ Good for homes with “distinctive” décor

Cons:

ÄÄ Mainly useful for online marketing* ÄÄ Potential disappointment when buyer sees real rooms * You can have high-resolution photos blown up and put on boards that can be displayed in the home; this is especially useful for odd spaces.

JUST A TWEAK

While ordering full-blown virtual staging of rooms or outdoor areas might be the right way to market a vacant property, using digital photo retouching services does not have to be all or nothing. Some of the same firms that cleverly place virtual sofas and tables may offer other options for homes, even those with sellers in place. Digital retouching can enhance a façade with deep shadows or delete clutter in an otherwise good photo. This could be a quick and inexpensive way to boost an aging listing.

‘Well, then, we have to make it look bigger.’ He had a huge sectional in the living room. I cut it down to one piece. The first day on market we had multiple offers and it sold for more than the asking price.” No matter which staging option is used for a given property, the goal is clear. As Soderlund says, “I try to explain to my homeowners that with a little effort we can transform their home into a home a current buyer will want.”

Designation Maintenance

Meet your Designation Maintenance today! Read this article and Pack a Digital Punch on p.18, take a 10-question quiz and earn 2 credits.

Go to CRS. com/trs-quiz to get started.

Myrna Traylor is a Chicago-based writer.

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F

S

OCU ON

iStock.com/lchumpitaz

MARKETING

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super

marketing

Selling the UN sellable [feature]

A home next to a highway? One with a seven-car garage? One that’s fire damaged? They usually sell at a snail’s pace, but here’s how some ‘unmarketable’ homes sold quickly.

By Daniel Rome Levine



Many REALTORS® would have taken one look at the burnt-out, garbage-strewn home and said, “No, thanks.” But not Betty Kerr, CRS, with RE/MAX Evolution in Orange County, California. “Every home has a buyer,” she told the desperate owner, an elderly woman who had been trying to sell the house herself for years after it had gone up in flames.

As if that wasn’t enough to deter potential buyers, the city had boarded up the home after deeming it too dangerous to live in. Mounds of trash and other debris littered the front yard. “So much for curb appeal,” Kerr says.

So-called “unmarketable homes” may take longer to sell, but with the right approach, you will find a buyer who thinks it’s just right for them.

Kerr had handled numerous so-called unsellable homes in her more than 30 years in the business, but she knew this one would take a special effort. She spent a week personally helping clean up the garbage outside.

Then she drafted a letter and sent it to more than 50 neighbors, investors and contractors. Not stopping there, she went door-to-door in the neighborhood hitting 20 homes a day, five days a week, drumming up interest in the property.

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[feature]

super marketing

“WHAT MAY LOOK ON THE SURFACE LIKE A DRAWBACK TO ONE PERSON MAY BE A POSITIVE TO SOMEONE ELSE.”

Six weeks later, her hard work and outreach paid off. An investor and builder who lived two blocks away bought the home.

Tough-to-sell houses are a true test of an agent’s skills and patience.

Conventional real estate marketing is not enough to move these properties. When it comes to homes that are considered unmarketable, REALTORS® have to think creatively and employ unconventional, novel tactics to generate buyer interest.

Margaret Rome, CRS, broker/owner of HomeRome Realty in Baltimore, Maryland, lives for the challenge these homes present. “It’s like a dare,” she says. “Tell me all the reasons why I can’t sell it, and it’s going to make me want to do it even more.”

­—Linda DeVlieg, CRS

One of her first experiences with such a property was a home that sat right next to the Baltimore beltway, Interstate 695, on two acres. It also had five bathrooms and two bedrooms. Five other agents had already tried selling the home using traditional marketing methods and all had given up.

Rome did things differently. First, she took down the “For Sale” sign, not wanting to draw attention to how long the home had been on the market. She also stopped holding open houses, preferring a more targeted marketing approach that highlighted the home’s convenient access to the highway.

Instead of being defensive and evasive about the location when asked by potential buyers, she played it up. If they asked if you could hear the roar of the cars zooming past, she enthusiastically answered, “Yes, not only can you hear it, but if they slow down enough you can read the license plates.”

Rome ended up selling the home not long after to a young musician who wanted the freedom to rehearse at all hours and not worry about bothering the neighbors. Rome even sold the home a second time using the same marketing approach to a couple whose top priority was direct access to the highway without having to worry about bad weather ever blocking their way.

After taking on this home situated next to the highway, Margaret Rome, CRS, removed the for sale sign and stopped holding open houses.

Then she sold the home.

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iStock.com/zeremski/RobertCrum/neyro2008/andrewburgess

Highway Living

super marketing

[feature]

BEING PRESENT AND PATIENT

Linda DeVlieg, CRS, sold a two-bedroom home with a seven-car garage. She targeted the advertising to car aficionados.

Motor Home In Albuquerque, New Mexico, when Linda DeVlieg, CRS, is selling an unusual home, she tries to imagine what type of person would be attracted to the property’s unique features and then targets them in her marketing. “Especially with these types of homes, we REALTORS® too often make the mistake of marketing to other real estate agents using agent-speak instead of advertising directly to potential buyers using plain language that highlights the features and benefits of a house.”

DeVlieg, with Keller Williams Realty, recalls the time she took on the sale of a property that had a seven-car garage, two bedrooms and one bathroom after several other agents had declined to work with the seller because of the challenging configuration. She targeted her advertising campaign directly at car aficionados and even used humor to play up the huge garage. “Want to live in your garage? Here’s the perfect house.” Her marketing plan worked.

“By targeting the car fanatic or the person who likes to fix them up, we were able to find a buyer who said this was his dream property,” she says. “What may look on the surface like a drawback to one person may be a positive to someone else.”

Because of the quirky nature of these homes, selling them requires a personal touch. “Anybody can put a lockbox on a house, put it in the multiple listing service and wait for the right buyer to come along, but I want to meet every prospective buyer and agent at the property so I can personally explain the home’s unique qualities,” says Margaret Rome, broker/owner at HomeRome Realty in Baltimore, Maryland. She also makes her own appointments so that before the people come out, she can explain to the agent what is different about the house so they are forewarned and there are no surprises.

Selling these types of houses also requires a great deal of patience. “You can’t worry about days on market,” Rome says. “A lot of times when agents ask me how long one of these houses has been on the market, I say, ‘A little longer than forever.’

It may take longer to move these properties, but we end up selling them to the right people.”

Personal Touch Bruce Ailion, CRS, with RE/MAX Town and Country, in Atlanta, Georgia, saw this firsthand when his firm listed a home on a very busy street several years ago. Not only was traffic an issue, but the house was in a flood zone. The rustic contemporary home also had several unique design features such as a tall, soaring roof and numerous large windows that offered little privacy. The house had been on the market for more than two years and several different agents from other firms had failed to sell it. When Ailion’s firm took it on as an expired listing, it was obvious that a different, more hands-on approach would be needed.

Ailion and an agent in his office came up with a plan to keep the home open every day, six days a week, and have the agent set up a desk there to establish a near-permanent presence so he could be sure to interact with anyone who came in. It worked. The home sold four months later. “Because we were open all the time, there was a constant flow of potential buyers coming in and asking questions,” Ailion says.

“When selling an unusual, unique home, my advice is to be there as much as possible,” he says. “You have to sit somewhere to do your daily work—make calls, negotiate contracts, research properties—why not do these things at the unique property you are trying to sell?”

Daniel Rome Levine is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area.

If you have an unmarketable home, turn to our We Are CRS Facebook group for advice. CRS Designees and candidates are there to help bounce around ideas or hone unusual tactics. Go to Facebook.com/groups/WeAreCRS to join.

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resources for learning & leisure GOOD READS

CONSTRUCTIVE

deviancy Done correctly and in the right doses, rule-breaking doesn’t have to get us in trouble.

Instead, it can help us get ahead.

By Allan Fallow

Ø

In 15 years of studying how various enterprises are run well—or run into the ground— Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino became an expert on scofflaws: people who tell fibs on dating websites, cheat on tax forms or exams, or treat red lights as mere suggestions. When caught in the act, these miscreants land in predictably hot water.

But what about a REBEL TALENT: more benign breed Why It Pays to Break of transgressor: the Rules at Work “People who are and in Life not afraid to break

by Francesca Gino the rules when the Dey St./William Morrow, rules are holding 284 pages, $27.99 them back?”

Dubbing these individuals “‘deviants,’ but in a positive way,” Gino paints a pleasantly subversive group portrait of surgeons and CEOs, salespeople and pilots, filmmakers and

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1. Novelty. Not every woman fast-food workers who “question would consider enrolling her new their own assumptions and stronhusband in an improv comedy gest beliefs, as well as the widely class, but that’s the Christmas presaccepted norms around them, to ent Gino gave her spouse, Greg, in identify more creative, effective 2011. It was a bold move—“being ways of doing transcendent work.” a bit of a tech geek,” she writes, “he Her new book, subtitled Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and was probably expecting some excitin Life, profiles these “rebel talents” ing new gadget”—but the author’s studies of employee disengagement in the earnest expectation that had taught her that the human readers will “bring more joy into need for novelty runs surprisingly [their] lives” when they unleash deep. Whether it’s the fast-food their own revolutionary spirit. chain Pal’s Sudden Service in “Strong habits pull us toward the Tennessee and Virginia or a large familiar and comfortable,” Gino writes. “We need to learn to ‘break’ retail operation in India, says Gino, variety acts as a motivator in even these habits, like so many Han the most rote job. dynasty urns.” (She’s referencing The improv class hardly prepared Chinese conceptual artist Ai Weiwei, the couple to headline Saturday who smashed a 2,000-year-old vase in a famous performance piece.) To Night Live, of course. But—sales pros, take note—it taught them stoke our own breakout behavior, why psychologists use the term Gino identifies and dissects what she calls “the five core elements of “self-expansion” to describe such put-yourself-out-there experiences: rebel talent.”

“When we engage in novel activities and acquire new skills, our sense of who we are expands. … This, in turn, heightens our confidence that we can accomplish our goals, even when we’re outside our comfort zone, and it increases our commitment to reaching our destination, no matter how tough the road.”

2. Curiosity. Rebels hold on to the curiosity that peaks in most people at 4 or 5 years old. They never stop obeying their inner impulse to ask “why?” This was the successful strategy of new BBC director-general Greg Dyke, for example, when he was brought in to revitalize the company in 2000: He met with staffers all over the UK, asking them two questions: Ä“What Ä is the one thing I should do to make things better for you?” and Ä“What Ä is the one thing I should do to make things better for our viewers and listeners?”

Like the best rebel leaders, Dyke understood that asking for advice increases how competent others perceive us to be. (Still not convinced? Consider this business-case statistic from an unrelated field: “Speed daters who ask more questions get more second dates.”)

3. Perspective. Everyone’s familiar with the tunnel vision created by extreme stress, which can pressure us to make poor decisions. Instead of taking a step back to weigh all our choices, we survey only the most obvious alternatives and lose sight of the bigger picture. Thank God rebel talent Captain Chesley Sullenberger had no such paucity of perspective when a flock of Canada geese crippled US Airways flight 1549 two minutes after it took off from LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15, 2009. Out of engine power—and out of flight options—Sully looked

at the Hudson River and thought, “Why not a landing strip?”

To emulate his brand of rebellious thinking, Gino suggests we ask not “What should I do?” but “What could I do?” in knotty situations. Performing such a pivot, she believes, can shift us from analyzing fixed options to considering (and then generating) more creative ones.

YO U M I G H T A L S O L I K E …

AGENT OF INFLUENCE

by Jason Hanson [Dey Street Books] 288 pages $ 17.70/hardcover

A former CIA special agent, Hanson provides readers with covert tactics to increase success in both their personal and business sectors.

4. Diversity. Rebels understand that stereotypes blind us to the true nature of reality and block us from gaining an edge over rivals.

After retracing the many hurdles that African American filmmaker Ava DuVernay had to vault in order to nab her first directing gig (A Wrinkle in Time), Gino details why gender and racial diversity make such robust business sense: Of 506 firms studied by sociologist Cedric Herring in 2009, those with greater diversity had higher sales revenue, more customers and richer profits.

SUPER THINKING

by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann [Porfolio] 352 pages $ 18.90/hardcover Train your brain to cut through the complexity of decision-making by creating frameworks and shortcuts.

BOSS UP!

by Lindsay Teague Moreno [Thomas Nelson] 256 pages $ 17.70/hardcover

5. Authenticity. Rebels are “willing to stand ‘naked’ in front of others,” Gino writes. What she means by that (I hope!) is that opening up wins us the trust of others, even when—perhaps especially when—it involves exposing our own vulnerabilities. “Revealing our deepest emotions takes courage,” the Rebel Talent author writes, “which inspires emulation and admiration in the people around us. Rebels understand this.”

Naturally, breaking the rules should never be done purely to stir the pot. But try sticking your neck out and observe how people respond. “I’ve tried it myself,” Gino testifies, “and it’s opened me up to a world of new experiences.”

Moreno gives tips on how women can successfully run a business while making time for family and leisure.

MANAGEMENT MESS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS

by Scott Jeffrey Miller [FranklinCovey] 256 pages $ 14.49/hardcover

Advice on how to overcome managerial missteps and become a leader everyone wants to follow.

Allan Fallow is a freelance book doctor and copyeditor in Alexandria, Virginia. Follow him @thefallow.

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resources for learning & leisure

TA K E A B R E A K

PULL THE plug 

quells unhealthy feelings

Ever feel like getting regular updates on everyone else’s lives makes yours feel small in comparison? Are you worried that missing just one email, text or tweet will leave you out of the loop? These feelings of envy and anxiety are all too common in the age of social media, and powering down can provide the opportunity to refocus and appreciate our lives in the present moment.

helps you recharge after work

Constantly checking emails after work or doing other work-related tasks may lead to burnout and increased stress. Taking regular breaks can help you feel more refreshed and focused during working hours, which is better for you and your clients.

can help you sleep better may help you improve your interpersonal communication

If you sleep with your phone close by and are woken up by every text or notification, you aren’t giving your brain or body proper rest. Even light from your screen may be disrupting your sleep cycle, so keep your phone in another room or on “do not disturb” at night.

While technology makes communication fast and convenient, it also removes body language, tone and other things that help us understand one another and form bonds. So instead of constantly texting, take time to meet with a friend or loved one to have an in-person conversation.

iStock.com/noipornpan/Alex Belomlinsky

Benefits of Unplugging

These days, it feels like the technology in our smartphones can do anything. We can talk to someone or look up information instantly, watch our favorite movies or even find someone to walk our dogs. However, too much attachment to our screens can negatively affect our overall quality of life. Whether it’s once a week or every evening, there are benefits to taking regular breaks away from your phone.

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RRC news from the council

RRC’S CERTIFICATIONS

expand Two new certifications help CRSs stay ahead of the competition

iStock/ambassador806



In 2018, the Council officially launched its Smart Home Certification. It was the first certification offered by RRC, remains the only certification in smart home technology on the market and marked a step forward in the Council’s ongoing education offerings expansion.

Since then, and based on member feedback and direction, the Council has added two more unique certifications: Residential Listing Certification and Digital Marketing: Social Media Certification. These certifications all have benefits vital to agents ready and willing to aggressively stay ahead of the competition in an ever-changing marketplace.

Certifications allow agents to: ÄÄStand out with unique marketing ideas in a growing real estate niche. ÄÄBetter serve clients and facilitate listings and transactions. ÄÄBuild relationships with potential clients in the community. ÄAct Ä on what they’ve learned immediately with pre-made toolkits.

And certification program education courses have the added benefit of qualifying for CRS Designation credit!

Learn more about the new certifications at CRS.com/learn/certifications.

1

Residential Listing Certification

The Residential Listing Certification program helps REALTORS® master the art of listing residential properties. The courses provide strategies, tools and more to help agents enhance and differentiate their listings.

Requirements for certification

There are two options from which you can choose to earn the Residential Listing Certification; both options are a total of 18 credit hours.

ÄÄOption A is a live and online path that includes taking the two-day classroom course Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist as well as two on-demand webinar recordings.

Check the calendar starting on page 42 in this issue or the education catalog at CRS.com/ learn to find courses near you. ÄÄOption B is all online and involves taking four on-demand eLearning courses and six on-demand webinar recordings.

For more information and to see the entire list of required courses, go to CRS.com/learn/certifications/ residential-listing-certification.

continued on page 38 

WHAT CANDIDATES HAVE TO SAY “Smart home technology can “[Power Up on Smart Home “Ready to go out and use all seem overwhelming. Thanks Technologies] is a fast-moving that I learned. Can’t wait to this class, I am confident course packed with very to see how this improves I have the tools to advise useful information, and I’m my business.” excited to start using it to —Angie Engel my clients.”

Ada, Oklahoma help grow my business.”

—Sarah Ramsey

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

—Jim Tripp Hartford, Wisconsin

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RRC news from the council

Combine live CRS coursework with online learning to earn a new certification.

RRC’S CERTIFICATIONS

expand 

continued from page 37

2

Digital Marketing: Social Media Certification

The Digital Marketing: Social Media Certification program is for real estate professionals who want to develop expertise with social media resources and sites that are an essential part of today’s digital marketing mix, whether you are promoting your business or the properties you represent.

Requirements for certification

ÄÄDigital Marketing: Establishing a Social Media Brand (virtual or live one-day classroom course) ÄÄNavigating the Social Media Maze (on-demand eLearning course) ÄThe Ä Real Estate Social Media Marketing Planner (on-demand webinar) ÄÄMaking Social Media Work (on-demand webinar)

To earn the Digital Marketing: Social Media Certification, you must complete the following programs, for a total of 12 credit hours:

For more information, go to: CRS.com/learn/certifications/ digital-marketing-social-media-certification.

DESIGNATION REQUIREMENTS CHANGE 60/30/30 PROGRAM

Based on research, feedback from REALTORS® and evolving market conditions, the Residential Real Estate Council Board of Directors has adjusted the time to complete the CRS Designation requirements for the 60-30-30 program from three years to five years. This means that candidates now have five years to complete 60 transactions or $30 million in volume and 30 hours of RRC Education to earn their designation.

This lowers the average transaction to 12 per year (from 20) and the average volume to $6 million per year (from $10 million).

This change is already in effect and will allow the Council to maintain its high standards while being more inclusive to agents in markets with varying price points and production averages, as well as agents who have less-established careers but impressive momentum.

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Requirements

Old

New

60 transactions

Average of 20/year (x3 years)

Average of 12/year (x5 years)

or $

30 million in volume

and 30 hours of RRC education

$

Average of 10 million/year (x3) in 3 years

$

Average of 6 million/year (x5) in 5 years

inside

RRC news from the council

MEET OUR NEW DESIGNEES Celebrate and acknowledge your peers in residential real estate who have recently earned the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation. Congratulations on achieving this prestigious designation! Their profile has been added to find.CRS.com, where you can find the profile information of all CRS Designees.

June

Edgar Adame, CRS Ruben Alfonso, CRS Marnetta Arnett, CRS Kevin Bailey, CRS Rochelle Beck, CRS Lorene Bothe, CRS Kimberlie Buffington, CRS James Carter, CRS Rebecca Carter, CRS Lisa Cernuto, CRS Angela Chang, CRS Linda Denault-Almodova, CRS Kat Drerup, CRS Hillary Driscoll Olds, CRS Andrea Ernst, CRS Sylvia Giannitrapani, CRS Adam Gurske, CRS Judith Gysin, CRS Annie Harris, CRS Tracie Hasslocher, CRS Lynn Healy, CRS T. Charles Henricks, CRS Denise Higgins, CRS Ja’net Hofer, CRS Tiffany Jones, CRS Matthew Joost, CRS Dennis Jordan, CRS Sarah Kelldorf, CRS Sherrie Kettles, CRS

Deb Kirschbaum, CRS Brianna Lalumiere, CRS Scott LaMantia, CRS Kevin Lau, CRS Katherine Leavitt, CRS Alicia Lopez, CRS Kirsten Madden, CRS Mary Martin, CRS Tom McDonald, CRS Francine McElhenny, CRS Louise McLean, CRS Page Miyares, CRS Logan Moffett, CRS Shelley Moore, CRS Sandra Moorhouse, CRS Renee Mullen, CRS Tatiana Novack, CRS Sally Perez, CRS Anne Peters, CRS Shawnna Rigg, CRS Amy Robison, CRS Danelle Rodgers, CRS Julie Rossiter, CRS Jimmy Saavedra, CRS Leticia Sanders, CRS Ryan Sanford, CRS Marjorie Scheer-Carlson, CRS Nicole Shuba, CRS Deborah Siefkin, CRS Sheila Simpson, CRS

Tiffany Spence, CRS Chad Sperry, CRS Kurt Sprigler, CRS Cammie Thomas, CRS Richard Ward, CRS L Marie Willson, CRS Michael Wissell, CRS John Woods, CRS Jennifer Yeo, CRS Shannon Yoder, CRS July

Pam Austin, CRS Dawn Avery, CRS Lisa Baltozer, CRS Andrew Barclay, CRS Steven Camerona, CRS Sandra Clemons, CRS Joyce Dorval, CRS Amal Eche, CRS Lisa Foster, CRS Kristine Foxgrover, CRS Mark Fruen, CRS Linda Green, CRS Julie Gritton, CRS Susie Hansen, CRS Tyler Harris, CRS Ashlee Harry, CRS Howard Haynie, CRS Karen Ingram, CRS

Jodi Jarvis, CRS Debra Johnson, CRS Cindy Kelly, CRS Amy Kobza, CRS Jennifer Kopriva, CRS Kate Lanagan MacGregor, CRS Fred McDaniel, CRS Robert Nitekman, CRS Leisa Ormsbee, CRS Polly Pearson, CRS Teresa Schroeder, CRS Julie Skogsberg, CRS Laura Soride, CRS Susan Steber, CRS Shelia Swaim, CRS Heather Vest, CRS

ELITE PRO SUMMIT

Join us for a special event from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, where the best of the best learn from one another. Participants will discuss the latest marketing strategies, business development tools and referral campaigns that set CRSs apart.

Attendance is limited to CRS Designees and counts toward the Designation Maintenance Requirement. Fee: $249, includes lunch and a reception that follows the event. Go to crs.com/attend/elite-pro-summit to register.

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Sep Oct

learn

from the

BEST strategies from the industry’s top educators

TAKE aim The benefits of targeted marketing

By Debbie Yost, CRS

RRC INSTRUCTOR

Debbie Yost, CRS, is broker/owner and team leader of the Yost Realty Group, RE/MAX Casa Grande in Arizona. In addition to leading an award-winning team, Debbie is a top-flight CRS Certified Instructor and speaker.

Sep Oct

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For example, you may be marketing a very nice home with very little yard. Instead of pretending that this potential negative isn’t there, develop your marketing with the right buyer in mind.

Focus the photography and messaging on the lifestyle that such a property would support. Your message on social media would become, “You have better things to do. You don’t have to spend every weekend mowing grass or doing yard work.”

We recently listed and sold a spectacular property with several luxury features, including a unique component—a 4,700-square-foot, temperature-controlled garage that could house up to 15 cars. Clearly, we were looking for someone who loved to rebuild vintage cars or was a car collector.

When we targeted the marketing on the unique aspects of that home, the property sold at a price six times the average sales price for homes in the area in just 91 days. That’s the advantage of marketing that targets the most probable buyer niche.

The first step in that plan is to talk to the seller about what they love most about the home. We will then design our marketing to attract that most probable buyer.

This is how we can stay in front of the inevitable. It’s how we can survive in an industry pummeled by technology.

iStock.com/Bet Noire



In business and life, it is important to have guiding principles. One of my favorites: “Success comes to those who get in front of the inevitable.” This is particularly important as technology has become such a force in real estate. It shines a light on my belief that each REALTOR®’s competition is not just other REALTORS®, it’s how other businesses serve their customers, and how consumers shop and make purchasing decisions.

I am always curious about how people make their buying decisions and what caused them to consider making a move or buying a particular item.

Think about the last thing you purchased.

What caused you to consider that particular item? Where did you go to locate necessary information? Many times I know that I am reacting to marketing delivered to me online.

I know that when marketing, we only have eight seconds to make an impression. The purchaser decides in those first eight seconds whether they are interested enough to continue to look or to move on to something else.

The same decision-making process is at work for homebuying. In most cases, particularly with a primary residence, people make a decision based on their emotional response to the property and later back up that decision with facts, data and logic. So when potential buyers see images and descriptions online, our job is to engage them within those eight seconds.

When I am listing a property, I think about who is the most probable buyer for it. What are they seeking? What are the obstacles that may make it difficult to purchase this property? I want to solve those problems up front to find the buyer who is a great match for that property and make it an easy buying decision.

RRC

connect

YOUR RRC MID-ATLANTIC CHESAPEAKE  NORFOLK  VIRGINIA BEACH

network

expand your network



CRS Jeff Dowler’s cousin’s family was moving from Durham, North Carolina, to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Not knowing a CRS in the area, Dowler, with Solutions Real Estate in Carlsbad, California, called his friend, Raul Azpiazu, CRS, with Howard Hanna Realty Pioneers in Pennsylvania, who Dowler met through Council leadership. Dowler told Azpiazu he needed a CRS who knew the area where the family wanted to live— and he recommended Ferne Silberman, CRS, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. After speaking with Silberman, it was clear she knew the challenges of buying in that market and would be a great fit. Silberman made it happen on time, and the new owners are thrilled with their home.

CONNECTION PERFECTION

—Jeff Dowler, CRS, Solutions Real Estate in Carlsbad, California CHARLEE@CHARLEEGOWIN.COM │ WWW.CHARLEEGOWIN.COM

Ad_CRS-040_LenardLind-Rev19_JF19_MP_112pv.pdf

CANADA

1

12/4/18

1:19 PM

WEST

NORTHEAST Your referral source for the greater

Pittsburgh

area

I help clients make the Wright move CRS, CRS, GRI, PMN Nancy Wright, ABR, GRI

RE/MAX Realty Brokers 5608 Wilkins Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15217 x221 OFS: 412-521-1000 x170 CELL: 412-508-0040 nancywright@remax.net

WEST

WEST

MID-ATLANTIC

Luxury is an experience, not a price point.

JEFFREY CORMAN

I am your concierge REALTOR®

Selling the tax-free, Lake Tahoe lifestyle

775.339.1144

tahoejeffrey@gmail.com www.LiveInIncline.com

NRED 0174475

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RRC connect

RRC CLASSROOM COURSES

expand your network

RRC classroom courses earn either eight credits (for one-day courses) or 16 credits (for two-day courses) toward the CRS Designation. At press time, the RRC courses listed below were scheduled for 2019. For more up-to-date listings, visit CRS.com/education-catalog. To attend a class, please go to CRS.com/events-calendar, locate the date of the course you would like to attend and follow the registration prompts.

11/1—Las Vegas, Nevada [Barrett Seminars] Instructor: Lee Barrett, CRS

7 Things Successful Agents Do Differently 10/4—Rochester, New York [New York RRC] Instructor: Gee Dunsten, CRS

11/7—Landover, Maryland [Maryland/DC RRC] Instructor: Gee Dunsten, CRS

10/10—Orem, Utah [Utah Central Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Chandra Hall, CRS 10/16—Chubbuck, Idaho [Greater Pocatello Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Rich Sands, CRS

WEST

WEST tural Resources Na ”

Over $800 million in Tahoe Sales

“One of Lake T

ah o

e’s

t. c o m

CZ

Cr

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Carole, CRS, CFP® Ben, CRS & CRB RSPS & SRES CRS NorCal chapter past president

ABR, CLHMS, CRS, GRI, e-Pro

941.356.0437

www.TheHeinrichTeam.com 831.626.2434

DebraPitell-Hauge@michaelsaunders.com SarasotaHomes4Sale.com

Team@TheHeinrichTeam.com

Ben BRE License #: 00584641

440 Gulf of Mexico Dr | Longboat Key, FL 34228

Carole BRE License #: 01069022

WEST

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MID-ATLANTIC

CALIFORNIA’S MONTEREY PENINSULA A trusted name on the Monterey Peninsula for nearly 50 years!

Terry McGowan CRS, GRI, ABR, SRS, e-Pro, SRES Cal DRE# 01126129 Sotheby’s International Realty 831-236-7251 terry.mcgowan@sothebyshomes.com www.terrymcgowan.com DRE# 01005829

Specializing in helping You reach Your Real Estate goals since 1991!

Sep Oct

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Luxury waterfront specialist serving Longboat & Sarasota, FL for 35 years

oe ag en

Local real estate experts in Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Monterey & Pacific Grove for over 30 years.

Buying and Selling Income Properties 10/29 & 10/30—Kissimmee, Florida [Osceola County Association of REALTORS®] Instructor: Dale Carlton, CRS

SOUTH

Selling Lake Tahoe Since 1989

BEN & CAROLE HEINRICH

Building an Exceptional Customer Service Referral Business 10/17 & 10/18—Bellevue, Washington [Washington RRC] Instructor: Frank Serio, CRS

13 Approved courses from which to choose!

Let’s do a great class together!

Mike@Selvaggio.com (302) 584-5590

www.Mik keMyCoach. oach.ccom www.MikeMy yCoach.com www.MikeMyCoach.com C

The annual CRS conference, Sell-a-bration®, will be Feb. 13-16, 2020, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida! In addition to the world-class residential real estate education that you’ve come to expect at Sell-a-bration®, we’re expanding by adding even more networking activities and events to the education we’re famous for.

Sell-a-bration® is the only event in the industry that is specifically for residential real estate professionals who want to take their business to the next level. During Sell-a-bration® you’ll take in unparalleled networking opportunities, business-building strategies, and insights from top-producing agents and industry leaders.

Register Now at crs.com/Sell-a-bration Early Bird Registration (Through Oct. 31, 2019): RRC Members: $599 | Non-Members $649

CRS

connect

CRS CLASSROOM COURSES

expand your network Converting Leads Into Closings 10/2— Syracuse, New York [New York RRC] Instructor: Gee Dunsten, CRS

Cyber Security: Protecting Your Business and Your Clients 10/8—Birmingham, Alabama [Alabama RRC] Instructor: Juanita McDowell

10/29—Clearwater, Florida [Pinellas REALTOR® Organization] Instructor: Gonzalo Meija, CRS

Generational Marketing: Innovation Strategies Across All Generations 10/28—Las Vegas, Nevada [Barrett Seminars] Instructor: Mark Given, CRS

PACIFIC

MAUI Real Estate

808-385-2918 jofoxxe@gmail.com

Reach more than

30,000

CRS peers with your ad here.

Joanne Foxxe

Contact Joe Stella: jstella@glcdelivers.com or 847-205-3127

CRS, GRI, SRES e-pro Maui CRS director

PACIFIC

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Seattle & the ‘Burb’s

HAWAII

Serving Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Bothell, Duvall, Lynnwood & Woodinville

Barb Avery ...sharing Aloha through excellence and experience...

REALTOR®, Vice President

Luxury Property Specialist RB-16599

Hawaii CRS of of Year, 2003® Hawaii Association REALTORS REALTOR® of the Year 2018 Direct: (808) 223-9246 nmetcalf@cbpacific.com www.nancymetcalf.com Celebrating 27 years yearsassisting assistingclients! clients!

Celebrating 25

The Residential Specialist trsmag.com

Managing Broker, CRS, GRI, I-Pro, SRES, WCR

RE/MAX Northwest Realtors

206-226-2879

Nancy D. Metcalf, CRS

44

EDIT

Leave YOUR HOME as is, or personalize the newsletter by adding your photo, logo, address and phone number to the mailing panel.* You can also substitute any article in the newsletter with one of your own.

Edit the newsletter e­ lectronically by downloading the Microsoft Word version at crs.com/ yourhomenewsletter.

PLEASE NOTE: The images featured in the YOUR HOME newsletter may only be used within the PDF version of the newsletter. These images may not be reproduced or republished elsewhere outside of this newsletter format. RRC members are free to re-use the text of the articles contained in the newsletter, however.

REPRODUCE

www.JoanneFoxxe.com

Sep Oct

PERSONALIZE, REPRODUCE AND MAIL THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR CLIENTS

20 19

SeattleSuburbs@yahoo.com www.SeattleSuburbs.com

Relocation, city-wide to world-wide.

Seniors Specialist/Estate Specialist Voted Best in Client Satisfaction multiple years —Seattle Magazine

Do it yourself with your office copier, or take the newsletter or electronic file (in addition to your photograph and any information you want inserted) to a printer who can prepare and reproduce the newsletter for you.

DISTRIBUTE

MAIL. If you photocopy YOUR HOME or use it “as is,” please note that it is designed to be folded in a trifold with the mailing panel facing outward. Postal regulations require that trifolds have two closures (tabs or tape) on top. For your convenience, we have placed asterisks (*) where the closures should be.

Be sure to check with your local mailer or post office to make sure you have prepared your mailings properly.

ELECTRONIC FILE. Attach the customized newsletter file to an email to your clients or create a web link to the file on your website.

Consult your webmaster or technician to make sure the file is prepared correctly for these purposes, since these basic instructions will vary by person and system. * This newsletter is for the exclusive use of RRC members.

your *

home

Tips and tre nd s for homeow ners, buyers and sellers

FALL appeal iStock.com: MarBom/imagine632/Kateryna Kukota/YinYang/bubaone/VICTOR/appleuzr

Ø

While it’s true that most homes tend to sell in spring or summer, this shouldn’t discourage potential sellers from listing a home in fall.

Think about these tips and tricks to make your home more appealing to buyers as the leaves start to turn.

Show off the home’s potential. Give buyers an idea of how the home would look during warmer months.

If you’re planning on selling later in the calendar year, consider taking photos of your home in the spring or summer and have them on display during open houses or showings. Giving potential buyers a glimpse into the future may get them to sign on the dotted line.

Take care of exterior aesthetics.

Piles of leaves or mounds of snow can make the exterior of your property look messy. Colder months tend to make most outdoor areas look dull or dreary, but remember to keep things clean for any photos taken of your home or for any viewings.

Consider using markers to clearly define the edges of your property, as weather elements may make things fuzzy to buyers.

Brighten up the place. Colder months can feel dreary. To take advantage of available natural light, keep your blinds and curtains wide open for showings. The more natural light shining into your home, the more attractive it will look. Also, think about using different types of light bulbs to add extra brightness to your living spaces.

And don’t forget about outdoor lighting! With the sun setting earlier, a well-lit exterior is a must for viewing your home in the afternoon or evening.

TARGETED STAGING When selling a home, it can be difficult to find a perfect sweet spot of how to market your property to every single buyer demographic, but you can stage extra bedrooms of your home to appeal to certain types of people.

When getting your home ready for viewings, consider these three target groups: Young couples. Many first-time homebuyers are young people with the idea of starting a family.

Consider taking a spare room and converting it into a child’s bedroom. This helps the buyer visualize the possibility of raising kids in the space.

Single professionals. Young professionals today are increasingly working from home. Having an office space in your home with good lighting for long hours spent on the job is a great idea.

Think about furnishing the office with a pullout couch, showing the young buyer that while the space is made for working, it can also double as a place to house weekend guests.

Large families. Big families need a lot of space. Converting spare storage rooms or offices into enough bedrooms for a full family is a must. You can even take offices on your main floor or in the basement and show potential buyers that there is plenty of room for not only the children they have now, but also for future family expansions.

Also consider mocking up these bedrooms for a wide variety of ages: a room for an infant with a crib; a room for an elementary schooler with toys; and a more refined room for a child in high school or college.

BROUGH T T O Y OU B Y Y OUR A GEN T, A CERT IFIED RE SIDEN T I A L SPECI A L IS T

A

EQUAL HOUSING

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS THINKING ABOUT BUYING OR SELLING A HOME? PLEASE MENTION MY NAME. This newsletter is for informational purposes only and should not be substituted for legal or financial advice. If you are currently working with another real estate agent or broker, it is not a solicitation for business.

OPPORTUNITY

Tips and trends for homeowners, buyers and sellers

COLD WEATHER prep Ø

Fall and winter are just around the corner. Cold temperatures and weather changes can greatly impact your home, and as a homeowner, you need to be prepared. Here are a few components of your home to think about when preparing for the shift in seasons:

ÄÄGutters and downspouts.

Homeowners need to consistently keep their gutters clean to prevent buildup of leaves and other debris.

Make sure water doesn’t pool at the bottom of the spout. Standing water can damage your driveway, sidewalk or even the home’s foundation.

SAY YES TO CRS

ÄÄChimneys and fireplaces. If you regularly use a fireplace in the colder months, call a professional to clean and inspect your chimney to ensure there are no blockages. Make sure to test the flue in your fireplace as well, as a tight seal is best to prevent moisture and debris from entering your home.

ÄÄWindows and doors. Swap all of your door and window screens that you use in the warmer months for more protective storm windows.

Installing weather stripping or caulking around your doorframes and windows is also a good idea to help lower heating bills.

ÄÄLandscaping.

Trim tree limbs that are close to your roof or any power lines. Snow and ice storms can wreak havoc and cause debris to damage your home.

Also, grass roots are growing deep into the ground to prepare for winter, so consider fertilizing or reseeding your lawn before it gets cold.

Buying or selling a home can seem like an overwhelming task. But the right REALTOR® can make the process easier—and more profitable.

A Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), with years of experience and success, will help you make smart decisions in a fast-paced, complex and competitive marketplace.

To earn the CRS Designation, REALTORS® must demonstrate outstanding professional achievements—including high-volume sales—and pursue advanced training in areas such as finance, marketing and technology. They must also maintain membership in the National Association of REALTORS® and abide by its Code of Ethics.

Work with a REALTOR® who belongs in the top 3% in the nation. Contact a CRS today.

iStock.com/Greg Kelton

IL

*

*

EFER R

LS!

ER OV

CRS advice from your peers

Q:

fro m Ke l l i H i l l m a r, C R S , L o n g a n d Fo s t e r C o l u m b i a , M a r y l a n d

Does your office have a charitable giving committee? If so, what are some activities that have successfully raised funds for your charity?

We have a committee that hosts events to raise money. We have regular restaurant fundraiser nights where a percentage goes to our organization, a spring bingo night with concessions, 50/50 raffle, a silent auction of items donated by local vendors, a holiday market (also with concessions, raffles, etc.) and other smaller events. We’ve identified some local housing, food and student-related charities amongst whom we divide the funds.

We also give money to a local high school with a high percentage of underprivileged students, which in turn allows us to hold our events at the school for free!

—Kelli Hillmar, Long and Foster, Columbia, Maryland

At our RE/MAX office, we are members of the Children’s Miracle Network and donate a portion of our commission checks to the charity. This is on a voluntary basis.

—Barbara DuDeck, RE/MAX Ranch and Beach, Escondido, California

We support several charities; however, our office is a Miracle Office for Children’s Miracle Network.

We had a motorcycle ride for Kickstands Up for Kids that raised $4,300.

—Margie Medlin, RE/MAX PURE, Marietta, Georgia

Have a great story to share? Email social@crs.com or look for discussions happening online at our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

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We raised money for Roc Solid to build a playground. We did a ballroom dancing lesson and we auctioned off an Echo Dot, wine basket, coaching session—things like that.

— Jessica Olevsky, CRS candidate, Keller Williams Capital Properties, Bethesda, Maryland

We contribute a set amount from each of our commission checks. At the end of the year, we divide it among four to five local charities to give back to our community.

—Cindy Jones, Duncan Real Estate, Anna Maria, Florida

I set up a charitable foundation.

We donate a portion of our closing commissions to the foundation and give back to the community.

—Addie Owens, RE/MAX TOUCHSTONE, Eustis, Florida At our company, agents can donate any amount they want from their commission checks; however, it isn’t mandatory. We also have golf tournament and battle of the bartender events. We donate to charities that our agents are involved with dealing with children and families.

—Judy Sexton, Illustrated Properties, Jupiter, Florida

iStock.com/GeoffBlack/edwardolive/Blade_kostas/AlexLMX/ CHIARI_VFX

ask a

This is home.

It’s a place called confidence.

It’s home because your clients feel positive and sure about the choice they’ve made. In partnering with you, they place their trust in your advice, counsel, and expertise to lead them there.

Our commitment is to always be there for you, and them, on this journey home.

pillartopost.com Each office independently owned and operated.