Real Estate Blog - Page 2 of 28

January 18, 2019 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

How Effective Is Your Social Media Marketing?

In the midst of showing and listing houses, attending inspections, negotiating contracts and networking with future prospects, when are you supposed to have time to keep up with blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest? The key to social media platforms providing the exposure you are looking for is consistency. Adding a post here and there when you have a free minute with weeks or months in between posts will not garner the exposure you are looking for.

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Agents

Your social media accounts should provide information on a variety of different topics including details on your listing, stats on the local market, local activities, industry news and homeowner tips. While it doesn’t require a full time job, it can be hard to fit it all in when you are busy and have lots of other activities going on. Social media can be an easy responsibility to transition to someone else and get the consistency you need. With the right individual or team responsible for your social media, you can focus your time on tasks with a higher return on investment.

Consider delegating this responsibility to Kim Hughes and Company. We work with our clients to develop a custom social media approach that includes the platforms that will benefit them with consistent posts that will keep them front of mind in their market. In most cases, we recommend you start with blogging. Blogs will focus on a variety of topics including real estate articles relative to buyers and sellers, homeowner tips, property information and local events. Blogs are written with keywords in mind that will benefit your website’s search engine optimization, posted on your website and then shared to your social media platforms. By sharing from your website, when people click on the links from your social media, they are brought back to your website benefiting your placement in the search engines when people are searching for real estate in your area.

Beyond blogging, we will develop a social media schedule to share local news, real estate tips, promote your listings and other items that your followers will engage with. Once you turn over your social media to your virtual assistant, you can count on your social media platforms having consistent posts without you having to think about them leaving you extra time to sell more houses and focus on the things that require your attention.

Is there something else you have on your to do list? Let us know and chances are we can help you with it. We recognize that all real estate agents run their businesses differently and our goal is to support you in whatever way will be most beneficial to your business. So let us know what kind of help you are looking for.

Ready and motivated to organize your life?
The 90 Day Real Estate Planner is a must for any agent, broker, team leader to implement into their daily lives as it will help you become more productive, find more time and be better organized. Get it today by visiting the 90 Day Real Estate Action Planner – use the COUPON CODE: PLAN18 to get your discount. This special code is for a limited time only, so take advantage of this discount today and get excited about your life becoming more organized and structured.

Are you realizing you need to tighten up your business strategies? Here at Kim Hughes & Company we are the experts when it comes to working real estate agents with start-ups, re-organizing, marketing, transaction management and so much more. Visit us at Kim Hughes and Company to download our free Real Estate Checklist. We will show you how to become a powerhouse agent so schedule a 20 minute complimentary call with Kim today and let’s get you organized and create some amazing strategies for your business.

COMING SOON!

The Ultimate Expired Listing System Webinar

Are you ready to get serious about working the Expired’s in your market? Are you ready to start building your inventory and put more money in the bank? I bet you are! I have been asked many of times to do a webinar for agents who struggle with the Expired Listing process, so coming in August I will be hosting a Workshop to take you through my Expired Listing System that has been a huge success for many top agents. If you would like to be the first notified just click on the link below and you will

automatically go into my private list to receive the first announcement.

YES! I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW – SIGN ME UP!

Are we connected?

Instagram: @KimHughesCoaching | #KimHughesCoaching
YouTube: Kim Hughes Real Estate Business Strategies
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http://facebook.com/KimHughesRealEstateVirtualAssistant
http://www.Twitter.com/KimHughes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimhughescoaching
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January 11, 2019 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Big Goals for 2019?

As the new year approaches and you are setting goals and trying to ensure you have the perfect systems in place to reach those goals, have you begun to identify areas that still need work or that you don’t have time to handle? Don’t let that stress you out. Kim Hughes and Company has an experienced and versatile team of professionals that can work with you to help you reach those goals. Our team members have years of experience in all aspects of the real estate industry and can help you complete any tasks you feel like you don’t have the time or expertise to manage. Many people think of using a virtual assistant for help with their listing, transaction and social media management but we have many other areas of expertise we can help with too. Here are a few more things to consider.

Lead Management

Whether you need help organizing your database to import and establish a CRM or implementing drip campaigns to stay in touch with your leads and past clients, we can help with all of that. We also work with clients to keep their database up to date by taking new leads and adding to your database and assigning to the appropriate drip campaign. Getting everything organized to start with is critical but don’t waste that time by not managing new leads appropriately to utilize the systems you have in place.

Bookkeeping

You work hard to make money but do you take the time to manage the money you have and keep track of your expenses so you know where your money is going and feel good about the return you are getting on the money you spend? Seeing a monthly breakdown of your expenditures is critical to knowing how your business is performing and where you need to make adjustments. If you wait to look at a profit and loss statement at the end of the year, it will be too late to make any changes if you don’t like what you see. Having your accounts reconciled monthly by Kim Hughes and Company will give you the data you need to take your business where you want it to be.

Website Management

Whether you have a custom, template or no website in place, we can help you with it. Websites come in all shapes and sizes and Kim Hughes and Company recognizes that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to websites. Don’t be overwhelmed by not understanding all that goes into a website and all that you need to do to keep your website up to date. We can work with you to understand your goals and how to help you reach them. If you don’t have a current site in place, we can discuss the pros and cons of different kinds of sites to help you determine what will best meet your needs.

COMING SOON!

automatically go into my private list to receive the first announcement.

YES! I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW – SIGN ME UP!

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November 29, 2018 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

How Productive Are You?

It can be hard to be really productive in real estate on many days because so often your schedule is dictated by the needs of your clients. While you must allow this to some disagree if you want to be successful, you must figure out a way to be productive and still be responsive to your clients at the same time.

The first key to having a productive day is to make a plan for it. Spend the last 15 minutes of each day planning for the next day. Make your to do list of items that must get done. This can be phone calls to make, emails to send, paperwork that needs to be completed, any appointments you have scheduled, events or meetings to attend and anything else that you must accomplish.

Just How Productive Do You Think You Are?

Once you have made your to do list for the next day, take the time to schedule the different items you need to complete at different times of the day. Make sure to include times for daily activities such as emails, following up on active contracts and listings, etc. It is also a good idea to leave open windows of time to respond to the things that pop up once the day starts.

The open blocks of time will allow you the opportunity to show a house to someone that calls from a sign or work on a listing presentation for a lead that calls and wants to meet with you about selling their home. Real estate is a business that makes it really hard to plan for because there are so many circumstances that require you to respond immediately and can’t wait so it is very important to leave time for the unexpected each day.

Start 2019 Off Right….Get your real estate planner today by visiting the 90 Day Real Estate Action Planner – use the COUPON CODE: PLAN18 to get your discount.

On your daily schedule, make sure to include time each day to plan the next day and time for a lunch or dinner break if you are working late in the day. You should also include any personal commitments you have so that you don’t overlook them when you are planning your day. Personal appointments are just as important as your business engagements.

The biggest reason planning your day will allow you to be more productive is because it will help you block your time into chunks and keep you from jumping around from one task to another frequently while not finishing anything. When you are working on something, you don’t have to answer every phone call and return every email immediately. Emails and phone calls should be returned in chunks for optimum productivity. While answering phone calls can be really important and allow you to make money, they can be distracting as well. Schedule mid-morning and mid-afternoon blocks of time for phone calls and emails to be returned so that people won’t have to wait more than a few hours before they hear from you.

The same concepts apply during the evening. It can be really easy to take your work home with you and therefore keep you from getting the mental break you need. Respond to calls and emails once each evening and don’t feel like you have to respond constantly. While there will be things that require an immediate response and you should be attentive to those, every call or email is not an emergency. Giving yourself a break from these items will allow you to refresh and be ready to start again the next day with a positive attitude.

In today’s technology-driven world, there are many apps that can help you manage your tasks while boosting your productivity. Read about the ones I think you shouldn’t run a business without here. Remember increased productivity will either allow you to have time for other things without being so overwhelmed or allow you to use that time to make more money.

Ready and motivated to organize your life? The 90 Day Real Estate Planner is a must for any agent, broker, team leader to implement into their daily lives as it will help you become more productive, find more time and be better organized. Get it today by visiting the 90 Day Real Estate Action Planner – use the COUPON CODE: PLAN18 to get your discount. This special code is for a limited time only, so take advantage of this discount today and get excited about your life becoming more organized and structured.

COMING SOON!

automatically go into my private list to receive the first announcement.

YES! I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW – SIGN ME UP!

Are we connected?

Instagram: @KimHughesCoaching | #KimHughesCoaching
http://www.Facebook.com/KimHughes
http://facebook.com/KimHughesRealEstateVirtualAssistant
http://www.Twitter.com/KimHughes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimhughescoaching
https://www.pinterest.com/kim_hughes/pins/

November 20, 2018 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

What Do You Have to Be Truly Thankful For?

It’s that time of year that we all stat thinking about what we are thankful for. Let’s start with the obvious mentions like family, friends, food, a job, place to live and all the basics. Those are great choices but isn’t there so much more to life than saying you are thankful for all of these things one Thursday a year?

Do you feel fortunate most days to have a career you love that allows you to help friends, family and strangers with something as important as a place to live? Real estate is different than many careers in that you have the option and the privilege to mold your job into exactly what you want it to be. Today, let’s focus on all of the things about being a real estate agent that you can be thankful for and forget about the things (and people) that make you want to scream.

What Do You Have To Be Truly Thankful For?

Having a job that allows you to create a schedule that works with your lifestyle. This doesn’t mean never working but it does mean you can schedule Wednesdays off for personal appointments or schedule around commitments you have. If you are new to the business, it may be hard to take advantage of this because you want to be available when clients want you to because that is what it takes to build that business but after you build a solid business, you will learn how to manage your clients in such a way that it works for you without telling people no at least most of the time.
Clients being willing to invite you along on one of the biggest decisions they will ever make. For most people, a house is the largest purchase they ever make. It is a privilege to be a part of that so don’t take it for granted that you are helping people make such an important decision.
Because you are involved in such an important part of people’s lives, it’s natural that they will share personal things about themselves with you. This often leads to the development of friendships. If you enjoy getting to know people and having a large group of friends, what better way to develop relationships than helping people through such an important step.
Are you looking for a job where you can set your own salary? This is it! While the market can play a part in this, you have the potential to make as much or as little money as you want.
Do you want to call the shots and set the rules for your business? You can do just that in real estate. While you may have some guidelines to follow depending on the firm you work for, there is still a lot of freedom for you to determine your own path.
When you work for someone else, they will tell you what you must do. As a real estate agent, you can determine a lot of your responsibilities. It doesn’t mean you will like every part of your career but you can make choices about what you want to spend most of your time doing and what you don’t. If you don’t like listing land for sale, don’t list it and focus on houses instead. Create the job you want not the job someone else wants you to have.
Are you looking for a career that allows you to work from home some days or to take your work with you on vacation? You can do that in real estate. While you can’t work from home everyday (let me know if you figure out how to show houses from home), there will be many days you can take your laptop to your favorite coffee shop, read emails from your sun room or draft a contract on a layover between flights. This flexibility is priceless and something available with few jobs.

Whatever your reason for selecting a career in real estate, there are many reasons that you should appreciate your career. This doesn’t mean your job will be easy everyday but with the opportunities you have available to you, you should be thankful for the career you have selected.

Let me know if you have any questions on how to set up your mobile office and share any tips you have on this area of your business.

We just launched the Real Estate Video Library. The library offers you some of the most popular video blogs and we are constantly adding more, so make sure to bookmark the page and visit often.

COMING SOON!

The Ultimate Expired Listing System Webinar

Are you ready to get serious about working the Expired’s in your market? Are you ready to start building your inventory and put more money in the bank? I bet you are! I have been asked many of times to do a webinar for agents who struggle with the Expired Listing process, so coming soon I will be hosting a Workshop to take you through my Expired Listing System that has been a huge success for many top agents. If you would like to be the first notified just click on the link below and you will automatically go into my private list to receive the first announcement.

YES! I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW – SIGN ME UP!

*****

Ready and motivated to organize your life? The 90 Day Real Estate Planner is a must for any agent,

broker, team leader to implement into their daily lives as it will help you become more productive, find more time and be better organized. Get it today by visiting the 90 Day Real Estate Action Planner – use the COUPON CODE: PLAN18 to get your discount. This special code is for a limited time only, so take advantage of this discount today and get excited about your life becoming more organized and structured.

Are we connected?:

This blog is not sponsored. Some links shared in this blog may be affiliate links which mean if you use those links I may get compensation from the companies (at no cost to you). Thanks for your support.

October 31, 2018 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

How To Create A Successful Mobile Office

As a real estate agent, you likely have an office in your home or a brick and mortar, but your car more than likely serves as your mobile office on many occasions. Since that is the case, your car needs to be setup and equipped with the tools you will need most often. There are many things you can take with you that will allow you to work easily and provide comfort for you and your clients.

Here are 5 things you should have in your car or keep readily available in your home and office to stock your car quickly for last minute appointments.

Bottled water. You and your clients will appreciate this after a few showings on a warm day. Keep a small cooler that you can fill with ice and add the water too when you need it.
Laptop or tablet that you can take with you to write offers or prepare other paperwork wherever you might wind up. You never know when your client will find the house they have been looking for. Depending on where you were, you may not want to drive back to your office to write an offer. Find the closest coffee shop or another place with WIFI and you can have their offer written, signed and delivered to the listing agent in no time. This doesn’t have to be a device just for your car. You probably keep this with you most of the time so just always have it handy and charged so it is ready when you need it.
Extra charger for your cell phone. Sure, you can charge in your car but keep a traditional cable with you so you can charge if you wind up somewhere unexpectedly.
You and your clients will appreciate a quick snack after a long day of showings. Nothing fancy or that can’t withstand extreme temperatures but fruit, granola bars or goldfish if you have kids with you will all be well appreciated.
Business cards. You will regularly meet clients and want to give them a business card but you also will meet people unexpectedly and want to give them a card. Business cards are probably the most inexpensive form of marketing you will ever encounter. There is no way to know which business card will provide the greatest return on your investment so hand them out freely so people will call you when they need help with real estate.

You will also want to have a mobile file box set up so you can keep important documents in your car. This is a system that I have recommended for years to my clients and they find it to be successful and it keeps them so organized.

If you would like to put together a mobile office I have put some links to the tools you will need to make it easy for you to put this together.

Portable File Box – This is where you will keep all your agreements, buyer representation agreements, addendums, contracts, MLS Forms (Blank), HOA forms and any other forms you feel would help you have everything you need at your finger-tips. Yes, you can probably get these online and complete them online, but to have these in paper form will always give you peace of mind if you are not able to access the program.

I also recommend you gather pamphlets from your chamber to give to your client so they can see what other businesses are in the area, school information, day cares, etc.

Hanging File Folders – you will want to create a folder for each type form or document. Then create a tab and name the folder something you can associate with the contents.

EXAMPLE: Listing Agreements, Buyer Representation Agreements, etc., your letters and postcards for when you come across a FSBO or to drop off to an Expired Listing.

You might also want to add a pen case and keep your favorite pens in the case so you have them if needed.

Pen Case: This one also has a compartment to hold miscellaneous items, like a phone charger.

Pens: These are my favorite pens! They don’t smear, skip and write with ease. I can never have to many pens.

Highlighters: Everyone should keep a highlighter close by.

White Letter Size Envelopes: If you are the agent who likes to be 100% prepared then you are going to love this tip…

Create your FSBO packages in these white envelopes and have them ready to drop off when you come across one or if you happen to meet someone while out and about.

Shipping Labels: You will want to order these now and then print your logos and information on them so you can adhere to the envelope then you can hand address to the homeowner if they are not home and you want to leave it at their door.

I always recommend you keep some stamps in the file organizer as well. Pick those up at your local post office or grocery store.

By creating a mobile office for yourself will help you save time and money while you are on the road, but always have a client box so when you are out with clients you can treat them with those few extra touches like, bottled water, snacks, gum or mints, a notebook so they can take notes, something for the kids to do while in the car.

Also having a first aid kit it nice to have for those little medical emergencies. If you don’t have a car emergency kit I highly recommend you get one so you are not stranded on the side of the road.

And, if you are part of a team, own a brokerage, etc what a great gift to give so everyone is organized and more efficient with their day and business.

Remember to always let someone know where you are and who you are with while out with clients. Have them meet you at your office, if possible and make a copy of their driver license and give to your broker, team, spouse, etc and never go blindly on an appointment.

Let me know if you have any questions on how to set up your mobile office and share any tips you have on this area of your business.

We just launched the Real Estate Video Library. The library offers you some of the most popular video blogs and we are constantly adding more, so make sure to bookmark the page and visit often.

COMING SOON!

The Ultimate Expired Listing System Webinar

Are you ready to get serious about working the Expired’s in your market? Are you ready to start building your inventory and put more money in the bank? I bet you are! I have been asked many of times to do a webinar for agents who struggle with the Expired Listing process, so coming soon I will be hosting a Workshop to take you through my Expired Listing System that has been a huge success for many top agents. If you would like to be the first notified just click on the link below and you will automatically go into my private list to receive the first announcement.

YES! I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW – SIGN ME UP!

*****

Ready and motivated to organize your life? The 90 Day Real Estate Planner is a must for any agent,

Are we connected?:

Big Goals for 2019?

How Productive Are You?

What Do You Have to Be Truly Thankful For?

*****

How To Create A Successful Mobile Office

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Connect with Kim Hughes & Company

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