Real Estate Blog - Kim Hughes

August 27, 2020 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Five Pieces of Information You Must Add to Your LinkedIn Profile

You have now updated your Facebook and Instagram profiles and should be on your way to using those accounts successfully to stay in touch with your followers and attract new business for yourself. Both Facebook and Instagram offer the opportunity to connect with individuals and businesses around the world. LinkedIn offers a similar option but is based on making connections with other professionals in a primarily business to business setting. The purpose of these connections is to foster relationships among peers near and far to grow your business or enhance your career. To do this, you must first take the time to setup your profile correctly so people know who you are and what your experience is.

Five Pieces of Information You Must Add to Your LinkedIn Profile

Share your profession and the name of the company you work for. LinkedIn facilitates connections with those in similar careers and related industries. If you don’t tell people what you do, they won’t have a reason to connect with you. Likewise, you may want to connect with individuals that work for similar companies or the same company in a different location.
Your location. Another reason to connect on LinkedIn is with others in close proximity to each other. As a real estate agent, consider connecting with mortgage lenders, inspectors and real estate attorneys or title companies in your area. Connecting with these professionals can lead to new relationships, which can lead to professional referrals.
About. Take time to fill out the about section in your profile. Don’t make this overly lengthy but include a little information about yourself, why you are passionate about your career and anything that makes you unique.
Experience. Share information about your previous positions and the prior companies you worked for. It’s easy to lose track of someone you worked with a few jobs ago but if they have filled out their prior experience section, you can search for them easily and reconnect.
Education. Complete the education section. If you love your alma mater like many people, wouldn’t you love to connect with those that may have attended the same school even at a different time. Include the name of the school, when you attended and what you studied. If you are wanting to try a new home inspector and have ten to select from, you might be more likely to reach out to the one that graduated from the same school you did.

When it comes time to post things on LinkedIn, you will likely want to take a different approach than other platforms. Share things that might interest other professionals in your industry, things about your local area, and things that show any specialized knowledge you might have since you are more likely to be connecting with those in similar professions and not people that may want to buy your next listing.

Ready to see the benefits of having Kim Hughes and her team of professional high-level real estate assistants can help you move your business to the next level, help you become more organized so you can focus more on what is important to you. Schedule your 30-minute Strategy Call… https://go.oncehub.com/KimHughes

ANNOUNCEMENT: Have you heard? The Ultimate Expired Listing System has been a huge success for so many agents around the country. Check it out to see if it is for you. https://www.kimhughes.com/the-ultimate-expired-listing-system.

I would also like to invite you to join my exclusive Facebook Group – Real Estate Success Tools is very unique as we share tips, strategies, and more on how YOU can run a more streamlined business by implementing the tips and tools we discuss here. Join us today it will only take a couple of minutes but will change the course of your business. Go ahead…join us now. https://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesuccesstools/

Ready to take your business to a new level? Here are some great blogs to help you get started:

3 Tips to Rock Your Transaction

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate

Is It Time to Bring on an Assistant?

Does Your Website Need a Face Lift?

7 Tips to Have an Amazing Newsletter

How organized are you with your day? Maybe you need to hold yourself accountable for your time? I have created a 90 Day Real Estate Planner for you. Check it out. https://www.kimhughes.com/90-day-real-estate-planner/

Connect with ME:

August 20, 2020 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Rock Your Next Virtual Open House

With the surge in the virtual world that began in March and shows no signs of relenting, the real estate market has seen some drastic changes recently. Whether you are trying to reach buyers that are uncomfortable going out, been quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure, or can’t travel due to restrictions, virtual open houses can be a great tool. Likewise, if you are representing the seller, they will likely appreciate you providing exposure to their home while limiting the number of people that physically visit their home. There are definitely some benefits to virtual houses but like anything, if you are going to do it, do it well. Follow these five steps to make sure your virtual open house earns maximum exposure.

Rock Your Next Virtual Open House

Plan for it. The planning may be different but just like any open house, you must plan for it. The house should be well-staged, clean, and inviting. Ditch the refreshments and put time into simple staging like setting the dining room table or adding flowers in different rooms. Make sure the owners and pets can be away for the day. With fewer places open for them to go, this may present a challenge for some but even if they just go for a drive or to pick up their latest grocery order, that will allow you to hold an open house.
Market the virtual open house like you always would. Many websites and MLS platforms have updated their software to allow information on virtual open houses. Take advantage of this option and share the information there. Make sure you also post it on social media and reach out to your database to make them aware of it too. Encourage your sellers to share your social media posts with their followers as well. If the neighborhood offers a Facebook page or group, that is another great place to post the information.
Practice with your technology. If you know what to expect when presenting the home, you will be more comfortable. There is nothing worse than going through an entire open house to find out it didn’t work. Do a couple of quick test runs then watch yourself so you can make adjustments to your delivery and make sure you are easily understood and people are able to follow your remarks.
Make notes for each room and part of the house in advance and write them down. No, you shouldn’t read from a script during your tour but the act of writing them down will help you remember the things you want to mention. You will want to share important details about the home with potential buyers so make sure you are telling them the things they can’t see. Don’t overlook spaces like closets and make sure to highlight recent updates as well.
Don’t stop after the open house. Just like following up with buyers after a traditional open house, make sure you do the same thing now. Answer questions from buyers if they have any and make sure you share the tour with anyone that didn’t participate in the live viewing. Post the tour to your social media accounts if it wasn’t hosted there so others can view it. For a few dollars a day, you may consider boosting your post to expose it to more people. After you put the work in, you will want to reach as many people as you can.

It’s too early to say if all of the recent virtual changes will stick around for the long haul but while they are here, it’s important to use the tools correctly and to the full extent if you want them to benefit your business as much as possible.

Ready to take your business to a new level? Here are some great blogs to help you get started:

3 Tips to Rock Your Transaction

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate

Is It Time to Bring on an Assistant?

Does Your Website Need a Face Lift?

7 Tips to Have an Amazing Newsletter

Connect with ME:

August 13, 2020 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Sell Yourself on Zoom

While Zoom, Facetime, Skype, or whatever else you are using to connect virtually nowadays is great for meeting with people, it can seem a little different if you don’t know the person at all. How can you conduct initial meetings and make a great first impression without the initial handshake and chance to make personal eye contact? It can be done! Here are five tips to best your best face forward in your next virtual introduction meeting.

Dress for the part. Online meetings don’t mean you should show up in your pajamas. You will feel more confident if you are dressed for success and pajama pants don’t do that. Put yourself together like you would for a face-to-face meeting. Select clothes that make you feel your best, do your hair and makeup, and present yourself professionally.
Prepare for the meeting. What do you do before appointments to prepare? For buyers, do you research the areas and types of homes they are interested in? For sellers, do you pull information and research the property they have to sell? If you do it for traditional appointments, do the same thing for your virtual ones.
Send the client materials in advance of the meeting or to have during the meeting. If you normally take printed materials to clients when you are meeting with them, email them to them in advance of the meeting. You could also consider mailing them the materials before the meeting if you have time to do that. When you put time into details like this, this will show a higher level of professionalism.
Confirm the meeting in advance. Due to the different meeting formats, some people may not take it quite as seriously. Show you are serious by calling the client the day before to confirm the meeting time. This is a casual reminder and will let them know you are taking the meeting seriously.
Practice your virtual pitch. Presenting information to a client online can be a little different than an in-person meeting. Before conducting your first virtual presentation, practice on a friend or family member so you can get more comfortable and make sure you understand the software you are using. Pick someone that will be honest about their critique and offer you good tips to make yourself look your best online.

Sell Yourself on Zoom

Like anything, you will get better with practice and will learn from each presentation. After each presentation, you should feel more comfortable and you will grow your confidence as you are able to successfully deliver your message and connect with new clients.

Ready to take your business to a new level? Here are some great blogs to help you get started:

3 Tips to Rock Your Transaction

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate

Is It Time to Bring on an Assistant?

Does Your Website Need a Face Lift?

7 Tips to Have an Amazing Newsletter

Connect with ME:

August 10, 2020 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Making an Offer During a Seller’s Market

With the limited inventory of homes for sale in many real estate markets, it is likely you may have a client interested in a home that many other buyers are also interested in meaning they could wind up in a multiple offer situation. Some buyers find this stressful and get discouraged if they miss out on their dream home because others want the same home. While it is unfortunate when this happens, it may open the opportunity for another home they hadn’t considered that turns out to be the best choice. At the same time, sometimes the first home they were interested in really is the right place for them. If that is the case, they will want their offer to be selected in case of multiple offers. How can you help your clients so they get the home they want without offering an amount that is unnecessarily high?

Today’s blog offers 5 great tips to help your clients so they get the home they want without offering an amount that is unnecessarily high?

Keep in communication with the listing agent of the property. From the time you schedule the first appointment, just be responsive to the other agent, and DEFINITELY provide feedback from the showing promptly and without the agent having to ask multiple times. Once you know your client has significant interest in the property, make sure to let the agent know. Homes are going under contract quickly in this market and you don’t want it to be under contract before you even realize it. Doing these things all the time is the best thing you can to do build strong relationships with other agents in your market. You can’t only do this when a buyer is interested in a home. You must do this all the time so you have a good relationship with agents all the time.
Request your buyer to provide you a preapproval letter or proof of funds right away. This should be dated in the most recent 30 days so there is no question of if it is still good. This can make a big difference when sellers are evaluating multiple offers.
Ask the buyer questions about their interest in the home so you understand their level of motivation. If this is just a place to live, they may be better off to find a different home that has less interest. If this is their dream home, you need to know that so you can give them the best advice to make sure they get the home.
Research the value of the home. Limited inventory in some markets is placing upward pressure on home values. Don’t assume you know what a house is worth if you are basing it off sales in previous years or even early this year. Take a look at the most recent activity so you can make sure you are giving your client the most current information.
Educate your buyers on how to make an offer with as few contingencies as possible. An offer that requests a longer than normal contract and inspection period, closing costs, a home warranty, and several items of personal property isn’t likely to be selected if there are multiple offers. Don’t let them make this kind of an offer without making sure they understand that upfront. Encourage buyers to make clean offers with as few contingencies as they can meaning no closing costs or home warranties and an inspection period that is as short as possible.

Making an Offer in a Seller’s Market

In real estate, you are the expert. Give your clients the best service you can by educating them and keeping them informed about what to expect. Your excellent service is sure to generate their appreciation and hopefully referrals of their friends and family in the future.

Ready to see the benefits of having Kim Hughes and her team of professional high-level real estate assistants can help you move your business to the next level, help you become more organized so you can focus more on what is important to you. Schedule your 20-minute Strategy Call… https://go.oncehub.com/KimHughes

Ready to take your business to a new level? Here are some great blogs to help you get started:

3 Tips to Rock Your Transaction: https://www.kimhughes.com/3-tips-to-rock-the-transaction/

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate: https://www.kimhughes.com/how-effective-is-your-social-media-marketing/

Is It Time to Bring on an Assistant? https://www.kimhughes.com/is-it-time-you-bring-on-an-assistant/

Does Your Website Need a Face Lift? https://www.kimhughes.com/does-your-website-need-a-face-lift/

7 Tips to Have an Amazing Newsletter https://www.kimhughes.com/7-great-tips-for-your-newsletter/

Connect with ME:

Website: https://www.KimHughes.com
Blog: https://www.kimhughes.com/resources/real-estate-blog/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/KimHughesRealEstateVirtualAssistant

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/KimHughes

LinkedIn: http://www.Linkedin.com/in/kimhughescoaching

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimhughescoaching/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kim_hughes/

YouTube: Kim Hughes Real Estate Business Strategies

Email Me: Kim@KimHughes.com

Thanks again…….

March 13, 2020 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Keep Your Business Running Smoothly During a Pandemic

Don’t shake hands, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, practice social distance. Does this all sound way too familiar?

The Coronavirus has created all of us to stop and think before we go into a public place, think about our elders, our children and our own health not to mention how this is affecting our business.

It’s impossible to avoid news surrounding the Coronavirus lately and some of the news tends to lead people to believe they need to panic and make drastic changes to their lifestyle. Assuming you are relatively healthy, other than foregoing International travel to certain destinations as well as cruises, you should continue to go about your daily routine as usual. This is ABSOLUTELY not a reason to avoid anything related to real estate.

As we go through the comings weeks and months, there are likely to be many more cases of the virus discovered but that doesn’t mean you are at greater risk for Coronavirus than the flu and therefore your precautions should be similar. What is your best defense? Regular hand washing. And if you weren’t doing that before, that is definitely something you should rethink for many reasons.

Keep Your Business Running Smoothly During a Pandemic

Now that you aren’t going to change your work routine due to this virus, what should you be doing? Call your contacts and talk about buying and selling houses. While the Federal Reserve recently dropped rates, this may or may not impact rates with your favorite lender but even if it doesn’t, mortgage rates are excellent. If someone has been on the fence about buying, the current rates might get them off the fence.

Don’t just call your buyer leads. Call your past clients too. Depending on their current mortgage rate, refinancing might be worth it. Ask them what their current rate is then recommended your favorite lender for them to talk to. Fifteen-year mortgages offer even better rates so if they have paid down their mortgage some and with rates so low, they might be able to refinance to a fifteen-year term and keep their payment about the same. Wouldn’t that make you a hero?

Whether the phone calls you make lead to immediate sales or not, your clients will be happy to hear from you. Be the voice of reason at this stressful time. Whatever you do today, tomorrow or next week, make sure you wash your hands!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Have you heard? The Ultimate Expired Listing System has been a huge success for so many agents around the country. Check it out to see if it is for you. https://www.kimhughes.com/the-ultimate-expired-listing-system/

What is The Ultimate Expired Listing System? It’s everything wrapped up in a nice little package for you. Videos, Postcards, Email Scripts, Phone Scripts, Worksheets and so much more.

I would also like to invite you to join my exclusive Facebook Group – Real Estate Success Tools is very unique as we share tips, strategies and more on how YOU can run a more streamlined business by implementing the tips and tools we discuss here. Join us today it will only take a couple of minutes, but will change the course of your business. Go ahead…join us now. https://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesuccesstools/

Ready to take your business to a new level? Here are some great videos to help you get started:

5 Bookkeeping Tips to Finish Out Your Year
https://www.kimhughes.com/5-bookkeeping-tips-to-finish-out-your-year/

What Does Your Real Estate Listing Checklist Look Like?
https://www.kimhughes.com/what-does-your-real-estate-listing-checklist-look-like/

Is It Time to Bring on an Assistant?
https://www.kimhughes.com/is-it-time-you-bring-on-an-assistant/

Does Your Website Need a Face Lift?
https://www.kimhughes.com/does-your-website-need-a-face-lift/

7 Tips to Have an Amazing Newsletter
https://www.kimhughes.com/7-great-tips-for-your-newsletter/

How organized are you with your day? Maybe you need to hold yourself accountable with your time? I have created a 90 Day Real Estate Planner for you. Check it out.

https://www.kimhughes.com/90-day-real-estate-planner/

Connect with ME:

YouTube: Kim Hughes Real Estate Business Strategies

Email Me: Kim@KimHughes.com