Sex Offenders on Your Website + Are Baby Boomers the Reason for Low Inventory? + much more...

885,391 daily readers and growing! December 31, 2015 Sex Offenders on Your Website Dear Reader, Well I’m excited to announce that the new search feature of the Ultimate Website has been a huge success! Our objective was to give our agents another option — not to replace the IDX search that many offer their visitors, but rather to enhance it. After all, nearly every home search website out there pulls from the same central database using a RETS feed. RETS is an acronym which stands for Real Estate Transaction Standard created to overcome the difficulties presented by the existence of a large number of organizations desiring to share and distribute real estate information with others. RETS addressed this need by providing a common standard for the exchange of real estate data. So in other words, everyone is singing from the same hymnal, so to speak. So since all of the searches are pulling from the same standardized data feed, there are really only small differences in presentation, but the data remains the same for everyone. Well, nearly everyone. Zillow had added tax record and historical sales data to the mix to provide additional value in calculating their “Zestimates”. It’s much like the TV show “Chopped” where there are different chefs competing but all of them have the same judges and the same ingredients. Just because their ingredients are the same doesn’t mean that the recipes are the same. And even if they happened to use the same recipe the presentation would not be the same so the judge experience would be different too. We decided that since there were many cooks and all just had the same ingredients, and that since our cook was probably the worst cook of all (nearly every IDX we’ve seen is light years behind Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com) that we would use the strengths of these massive national aggregators to our advantage. We decided to build a one-stop mega-search. We decided to put all the various home searches in one easy to use location. Then we decided to tie in some other data as well — other data that those big companies don’t or can’t offer. We added Craigslist, Rent.com, Great Schools, and the National Sex Offender Registry databases. We’ve only had our new search feature live for two days, but we’ve been very surprised with one particular feature. Almost every single lead is clicking on the Sex Offender Registry. Think about it — nobody wants to find out after the fact that their dream home is right next door to a pedifile. What’s even better is that not another national home search site offers this information! Now our agents can put the power of all these databases in one location — on their own website. Best of all it doesn’t cost them a dime. They can replace their local IDX if they want, or if they prefer they can keep on using it, with or without the new comprehensive search option. I believe when agents see how valuable this Sex Offender Registry is to their customers, they will be amazed. I am cautiously optimistic, but early results look like we might have stumbled onto the next big thing! The funny thing is that any of these national companies could offer this information if they wanted to, but none do. I wonder how long it will be before they all jump on the bandwagon. We’ve consistently led the way with new innovations, from our very first LCM to our most recent autoblog. So whether you’re a long time user or you’ve been sitting on the fence wondering about my Ultimate Website, today is the day to try out this new comprehensive search. Your customers are going to love it, and you are going to love being able to step in front of the major players with your Utimate Website and capture those leads.   Get My Ultimate Website Now » (You'll need to check availability in your area first.) As always, thanks for reading. Matt Jones  Broker/President/CEO  FavoriteAgent.com Matt Jones is the founder and CEO of FavoriteAgent.com, nationally syndicated columnist, broker, and best selling author. He has been profiled by major media outlets as an innovator and a pioneer in the industry, and CNN's Pulse on America claimed he and his company were "changing the way real estate is done in America."

I did not sign up for this #TRENDING Are Baby Boomers the Reason for Low Inventory? » Economists now argue that baby boomers - the people who rocked at Woodstock and were active in campus protests - who used to take out mortgages and buy lots of real estate are not downsizing fast Read more » Four Real Estate Trends for 2016 » Whether you are buying, selling, or renting, there's no escaping Federal Reserve's anticipated Read more » Prices and Mortgage Rates to Go Up in 2016 » The monthly mortgage payment on a home is determined by two elements: the price of the house and the Read more » Half of Renters Struggle to Afford Rent » The rental affordability crisis is showing signs of worsening: Nearly half of all renters are Read more » Redin's New Valuation Tool Has Flaws Too » I am a firm believer that someone will create a great AVM that will rapidly replace human input into Read more » Pros and Cons of Selling During the Holidays » When the end of the year rolls around, people's minds tend to shift to gift giving, holiday parties Read more » ECONOMY Consumer Confidence Soars--Homes and Cars Reaping the Benefits » Consumer confidence surprises many and surges in August, according to today's report from the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index. The Index rose to 101.5 (after July's dismal reading of Read more » More Homebuyers Don't Want to Work With Agents » A survey commissioned by online brokerage Redfin of 2,134 Americans finds one in five buyers made an Read more » This Isn't the Next Housing Bubble » Home prices are rising rapidly, but economists are deflating concerns that another "housing bubble" Read more » Homeowners Spending Like It's 2006 » U.S. housing is finally lifting itself off the mat. Read more » Cities With the Biggest Rent Increases » Families are facing much bigger rent checks this year -- especially those living in cities in the Read more » 30% of Homes Lost Value Over Last Year » Not all American homes are rising in value. Read more » TECHNOLOGY Did Your Website Survive Mobilegeddon? » Google changed their algorithm to favor mobile-ready sites Read more » Realtor.com Claims They are Fastest Growing in Online Real Estate » Zillow is still the clear leader in the online real estate industry, but Realtor.com released some Read more » Project Upstream to Consolidate MLS Data » Project Upstream, as far as I can tell, is all about consolidating the MLS data. Zillow currently Read more » Technology Disrupting Real Estate Industry on Two Fronts » Tech companies who want to venture into the real estate industry are facing the tough challenge of Read more » Big Data is Changing Real Estate » The commercial real estate industry is embracing big data. While the financial and health care Read more » Choosing the Best Anti-virus Software » What to choose when you have too many options? Read more » LAW Son of Murdered Agent Urging Safety for Others » The son of an Arkansas real estate agent who was kidnapped and murdered while showing a home nearly a year ago is urging the real estate community to take greater safety precautions to ensure other Read more » Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Realtor Killing » The estranged wife of Arron Michael Lewis promised on Tuesday to testify against him as part of a Read more » Man Arrested for Hate Crime After Threatening Realtor » A man was arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime for using racial slurs and threatening an Read more » Agent Attacked By Man in a Dress » In what is all too common an occurrence, a Realtor showing a home was attacked near Atlanta. What Read more »

Agent Attempts to Extort Power Brokers for $800k » A Miami Beach real estate agent — who sported bruises in his mugshot — was arrested over the weekend Read more » NewsCorp Spent $7M Suing Zillow » News Corp (NWSA) Earnings Report: Q4 2015 Conference Call Transcript Read more » MARKETING Four Online Strategies to Sell Your Listing » Don't limit your home selling strategies to eye-catching signs and telling friends and family about your upcoming sale - explore other possibilities like the online world. Read more » 7 Ways Your Body Language Can Get People to Like You » Let your body do the talking Read more » AirBnB, Realtor.com Team Up to Offer Try Before You Buy Housing » Dive Brief: Read more » Instagram an Important Marketing Tool » Instagram is an important marketing tool Read more » Become a Better Communicator In Your Writing » There's no denying it. It doesn't matter who you are, the type of customer you're trying to reach Read more »

Study Reveals Agents are Missing Opportunities in Commerical and Land » A recent survey of real estate purchases by The Entrust Group's self-directed IRA (SIDRA) clients Read more » INVESTING Dangers of Crowdfunding for Real Estate Investment » Real estate based equity crowdfunding, known more simply as "RECFunds", is rapidly gaining popularity among investors as an alternative, an often easier-to-source, form of funding. The benefits of Read more » U.S. Investors Flocking to Farmland » Investors are flocking to farmland again, hoping to capitalize on what they view as a temporary Read more » Turnkey Properties Popular Investments for Millennials » Millennials and younger members of Gen X appear to be delaying the financial responsibility of Read more » Was My Home a Good Investment? » Read more » Real Estate Tycoon in the Making » Danielle Moy loved to play Monopoly as a kid. Now, collecting as many properties as possible is more Read more »

Send Your Child to College By Investing in Rental Property » College fees have gone up to over $65,000 a year says Troy Onink, a contributor for Forbes. When Read more » HOW-TO Dos and Don'ts of Appraiser Communication » Real estate professionals and appraisers both play an essential role in the process of buying or selling a home. It is critical that these two parties work together to ensure that an appraiser Read more » Fatal Realtor Kidnapping Causes Agent Community to Change Safety Procedure » A year ago next week, the search for Beverly Carter, the Arkansas Realtor who had been missing since Read more » Sell a Home Quickly in Any Market » Once you list a house for sale, the waiting begins. Both realtor and homeowner want to find a buyer Read more » Avoid These Scams Targetting Real Estate Agents » Cybercrime is far more prevalent these days than its ever been before, and with the vast amounts of Read more » Home Selling Mistakes That Cost Your Seller Money » Real estate is a local experience, so be prepared for varying conditions depending on where you Read more » 5 Biggest Turnoffs for Homebuyers » If you are on the selling end, there is nothing more important than you need to know than what make Read more »

This is the NewsGeni.us e-Brief, a collection of the best real estate news and advice in one place. To cancel your subscription, follow this link http://www.newsgeni.us/unsub.php?email=dsoldit.blogpost@blogger.com&s=2024.

©2015 NewsGeni.us, 212 Northstone Pl, Fayetteville, NC 28314. All rights reserved.

Two Problems, One Solution + Half of Renters Struggle to Afford Rent + much more...

885,391 daily readers and growing! December 30, 2015 Two Problems, One Solution Dear Reader, Can I be completely honest with you? I think we all struggle with the same two things. Finding enough customers and getting motivated. We get pumped up and excited and we can’t find enough business so we burn out. Or we have plenty of business but we lose our motivation and focus. I guess it is the human condition. I know I fight these same two things and I’ll bet many of you do too. Yesterday I posted a an article on Beating the Winter Blahs and I got an email from an agent who I’ve known since 2007 when he came to one of my Summit training events. Ira is a very sharp RE/MAX agent and he works hard. Both a nice guy and a great agent. He used our LCM technology back in our early days, then tried some other marketing ideas for a couple of years, and eventually came back in December of 2011. Believe it or not, we see that a lot. When we rolled out our Ultimate Website last year, he was one of the first to upgrade from our original LCM technology. For as long as I’ve known Ira, he’s always been seeking to improve his business, so I guess I can sort of relate to him on that level. I’m the same way. Here is what he wrote: “Thanks Matt, I needed that article. I believe that I need to rekindle my fire by goal setting. I have been working out and getting in shape for the last few months. But the business, after all these years and especially the time we have just come through, has caused my flame to grow weary. I think it is time to reset my goals and work on them on a daily basis. Thanks for your articles and persistence in helping your agents achieve more — they are great." - Ira, GA Ira’s email was just what I needed to hear. That’s twice in one week that I’ve heard from top-notch, seasoned agents who just needed a little encouragement. So I get the feeling that many of us are still trying to bounce back from the recent tough times. Sometimes just a bit of encouragement helps us make it through the times when we doubt our direction or maybe when we need to refocus. But did you notice what Ira didn’t mention? That, in and of itself, is very telling. He didn’t mention a shortage of business. He said, “I believe that I need to rekindle my fire by goal setting.” When you already have the ability to produce business at will, the struggle becomes one of simply setting your goals and staying focused. But most agents I talk to have the opposite problem. Which one best describes you? Need to get motivated and refocus? Or maybe you’re motivated but just don’t have enough business. If you need more business, you might try doing what many successful agents like Ira are doing — looking for the business online. Trust me, there is plenty of business out there. You just need a way to capture your share. Think about this: Today nearly all real estate shoppers (94%) are beginning online so you should be getting the bulk of your business from your website. If you’re not, you need to rethink your website. Is it earning its keep? If it’s not, take a minute to check out my Ultimate Website. You might be amazed at just how powerful one simple change can be. I give away about 99% of all my technology and digital training content, completely free of charge, because I want to see other agents have the same kind of success that I’ve had. But one thing I charge for is my Ultimate Website technology. This is the web technology I created for myself that turned my real estate practice around overnight, and now I license it agents everywhere.   You cannot fully understand the feeling of freedom you get when you have the power to generate new clients AT WILL until you actually experience it for yourself. It’s incredible and it completely changed the trajectory of my career. I personally went from struggling to having a team of a dozen agents in about six months time… simply by having lots of opportunities. If you’re reading this and haven’t had a chance to check out my Ultimate Website with LCM technology, I urge you to take a moment to see what all the fuss is about. I think you will be very favorably impressed, and if you decide to try it today, I’ll give you a promo code that will get you an extra $350 in bonuses, but it will only work today. Promo code: “NEWSGENIUS” (all caps, no quotes) Get the Ultimate Website Now (Or check price and availability.) As always, thanks for reading. Matt Jones Broker/President/CEO FavoriteAgent.com Matt Jones is the founder and CEO of FavoriteAgent.com, nationally syndicated columnist, broker, and best selling author. He has been profiled by major media outlets as an innovator and a pioneer in the industry, and CNN's Pulse on America claimed he and his company were "changing the way real estate is done in America."

I did not sign up for this #TRENDING Half of Renters Struggle to Afford Rent » The rental affordability crisis is showing signs of worsening: Nearly half of all renters are struggling to pay their monthly payments, according to a new report by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Read more » Four Real Estate Trends for 2016 » Whether you are buying, selling, or renting, there's no escaping Federal Reserve's anticipated Read more » Prices and Mortgage Rates to Go Up in 2016 » The monthly mortgage payment on a home is determined by two elements: the price of the house and the Read more » Are Baby Boomers the Reason for Low Inventory? » Economists now argue that baby boomers - the people who rocked at Woodstock and were active in Read more » Redin's New Valuation Tool Has Flaws Too » I am a firm believer that someone will create a great AVM that will rapidly replace human input into Read more » Pros and Cons of Selling During the Holidays » When the end of the year rolls around, people's minds tend to shift to gift giving, holiday parties Read more » ECONOMY This Isn't the Next Housing Bubble » Home prices are rising rapidly, but economists are deflating concerns that another "housing bubble" is brewing. Read more » More Homebuyers Don't Want to Work With Agents » A survey commissioned by online brokerage Redfin of 2,134 Americans finds one in five buyers made an Read more » Homeowners Spending Like It's 2006 » U.S. housing is finally lifting itself off the mat. Read more » Consumer Confidence Soars--Homes and Cars Reaping the Benefits » Consumer confidence surprises many and surges in August, according to today's report from the Read more » Cities With the Biggest Rent Increases » Families are facing much bigger rent checks this year -- especially those living in cities in the Read more » 30% of Homes Lost Value Over Last Year » Not all American homes are rising in value. Read more » TECHNOLOGY Project Upstream to Consolidate MLS Data » Project Upstream, as far as I can tell, is all about consolidating the MLS data. Zillow currently has to take data from hundreds of MLS organizations, in a variety of formats, and consolidate it to Read more » Realtor.com Claims They are Fastest Growing in Online Real Estate » Zillow is still the clear leader in the online real estate industry, but Realtor.com released some Read more » Technology Disrupting Real Estate Industry on Two Fronts » Tech companies who want to venture into the real estate industry are facing the tough challenge of Read more » Did Your Website Survive Mobilegeddon? » Google changed their algorithm to favor mobile-ready sites Read more » Big Data is Changing Real Estate » The commercial real estate industry is embracing big data. While the financial and health care Read more »

Choosing the Best Anti-virus Software » What to choose when you have too many options? Read more » LAW Agent Attempts to Extort Power Brokers for $800k » A Miami Beach real estate agent — who sported bruises in his mugshot — was arrested over the weekend after police say he tried to extort $800,000 from two high-powered brokers, known as ''the Jills,'' Read more » Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Realtor Killing » The estranged wife of Arron Michael Lewis promised on Tuesday to testify against him as part of a Read more » Man Arrested for Hate Crime After Threatening Realtor » A man was arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime for using racial slurs and threatening an Read more » Son of Murdered Agent Urging Safety for Others » The son of an Arkansas real estate agent who was kidnapped and murdered while showing a home nearly Read more » Agent Attacked By Man in a Dress » In what is all too common an occurrence, a Realtor showing a home was attacked near Atlanta. What Read more » NewsCorp Spent $7M Suing Zillow » News Corp (NWSA) Earnings Report: Q4 2015 Conference Call Transcript Read more » MARKETING AirBnB, Realtor.com Team Up to Offer Try Before You Buy Housing » Dive Brief: Read more » 7 Ways Your Body Language Can Get People to Like You » Let your body do the talking Read more »

Four Online Strategies to Sell Your Listing » Don't limit your home selling strategies to eye-catching signs and telling friends and family about Read more » Instagram an Important Marketing Tool » Instagram is an important marketing tool Read more » Become a Better Communicator In Your Writing » There's no denying it. It doesn't matter who you are, the type of customer you're trying to reach Read more » Study Reveals Agents are Missing Opportunities in Commerical and Land » A recent survey of real estate purchases by The Entrust Group's self-directed IRA (SIDRA) clients Read more » INVESTING U.S. Investors Flocking to Farmland » Investors are flocking to farmland again, hoping to capitalize on what they view as a temporary slump in the agriculture industry that has pushed down land prices in some areas of the country, The Read more » Dangers of Crowdfunding for Real Estate Investment » Real estate based equity crowdfunding, known more simply as "RECFunds", is rapidly gaining Read more » Turnkey Properties Popular Investments for Millennials » Millennials and younger members of Gen X appear to be delaying the financial responsibility of Read more » Was My Home a Good Investment? » Read more »

Real Estate Tycoon in the Making » Danielle Moy loved to play Monopoly as a kid. Now, collecting as many properties as possible is more Read more » Send Your Child to College By Investing in Rental Property » College fees have gone up to over $65,000 a year says Troy Onink, a contributor for Forbes. When Read more » HOW-TO Home Selling Mistakes That Cost Your Seller Money » Real estate is a local experience, so be prepared for varying conditions depending on where you live. In much of the Midwest, West, and South, for example, sellers have the most leverage, according to Read more » Fatal Realtor Kidnapping Causes Agent Community to Change Safety Procedure » A year ago next week, the search for Beverly Carter, the Arkansas Realtor who had been missing since Read more » Dos and Don'ts of Appraiser Communication » Real estate professionals and appraisers both play an essential role in the process of buying or Read more » Sell a Home Quickly in Any Market » Once you list a house for sale, the waiting begins. Both realtor and homeowner want to find a buyer Read more » Avoid These Scams Targetting Real Estate Agents » Cybercrime is far more prevalent these days than its ever been before, and with the vast amounts of Read more » 5 Biggest Turnoffs for Homebuyers » If you are on the selling end, there is nothing more important than you need to know than what make Read more »

This is the NewsGeni.us e-Brief, a collection of the best real estate news and advice in one place. To cancel your subscription, follow this link http://www.newsgeni.us/unsub.php?email=dsoldit.blogpost@blogger.com&s=2023.

©2015 NewsGeni.us, 212 Northstone Pl, Fayetteville, NC 28314. All rights reserved.