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 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.

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/

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.

 

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,

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.

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/

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.

 

The end of the year is quickly approaching and that means you are well into the 2018 tax year and should have completed your bookkeeping at least through the mid-year point. Or are you one of the many agents that scrambles each Spring or files for an extension because you didn’t take the time to work on your bookkeeping each month like you say you are going to do each year?

To maximize your deductions and minimize your stress, you MUST be proactive about your bookkeeping. If you are not keeping up with your bookkeeping on a regular basis, you need to make that a priority. Here are five reasons not to put off your bookkeeping until the end of the year.

1. The sooner you go through your expenses each month, the more likely you are to remember everything and accurately account for each expense. A year from now, you are unlikely to remember that you took a client to lunch on the 23^rd of March or sent a client flowers for the first anniversary of their home purchase but you are more likely to remember that when just a few weeks or days have passed. Make it a habit to sit down monthly as soon as your account statements are available and go through each item. Categorize every item to the appropriate expense category or mark it as personal so you don’t overlook anything. This will also allow you to catch any errors that might show up on your account.
2. Reviewing every expense each month will allow you to identify any areas that may be going over your budget so that you can address the issue before the end of the year. If you have a budget of $500 a year for Facebook advertising and you have surpassed that amount at the end of May, you will need to determine is that because you have made more money than you anticipated and therefore can spend more on that item or have you overspent and need to adjust other budget items to compensate for the Facebook advertising.
3. If you wait to review all of your expenses and income at the end of the year, you may not realize if your expenses and income are drastically different than what you anticipated. The reason this can be a problem is if you are not making as much money as you expected and are paying quarterly estimated taxes, you could be overpaying. Likewise, if you are making more money than you expected and haven’t adjusted your quarterly estimated tax payments, you could owe significant money come April 15^th.
4. Trying to work through your bookkeeping for an entire year at one time is a daunting task making you more likely to need to file an extension. Categorize your expenses each month so you are ahead of the game and be one of the first people to turn your expenses over to your accountant this year.
5. Rushing through your taxes to meet a deadline makes your more likely to make a mistake. Mistakes on your taxes can cost you thousands of dollars in penalties and interest. Don’t put yourself in this position by reviewing your expenses monthly to eliminate the tax time crunch.

If this is completely overwhelming to you, make this the year you get yourself on track. If after years of playing this game, you know you aren’t ever going to make the time to be proactive with your bookkeeping then take the next step and let Kim Hughes and Company help you with this. This doesn’t have to be a huge investment or new line item in your budget. Most bookkeeping accounts can be managed on a monthly basis for a little more than your monthly coffee budget or a couple dinners out. Are you willing to make that investment in your business?

Don’t forget to download your freebie – Bookkeeping Checklist

*****

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 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!

*****

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.

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/

It’s hard to believe the year is more than half over and fourth quarter is right around the corner. If you are like most people, you probably started the year off with some goals that you hoped to accomplish this year. Many of your goals were probably business related but you probably had some personal goals as well. Have you taken the time to think about your goals lately and evaluate where you are in reaching them?

When you set goals at the beginning of the year, did you put a plan in place to help you reach your goals or did you forget about them as soon as the year started? Reaching your goals won’t happen without a plan in place including specific tasks for you to accomplish.

Are You On Track To Meet Your Goals

For example, if your goal was to call all of your past clients this year, you would need to then determine who you plan to talk to when, how to keep up with who you have talked to and set aside time to make the phone calls. Those steps are critical if you want to reach your goal. Without those steps, you would have no idea who you have talked to and no way to know if you are on track or not.

With the end of the third quarter almost here, you should be 75% through most of your goals. If you aren’t, do you need to make adjustments to your goals or can you take the time to put the necessary steps in place so that you can achieve them? The steps to reach your goals are important but perhaps just as important is making the time to achieve them. Having a goal and knowing the right steps it will take to reach the goal are not enough. You must put in the necessary work so that the goals are attainable.

Let’s go back to our example with the phone calls to your past clients. Pull a list of your clients from your database and see how many you have left to call. Then determine how many you would need to call each week to make that happen. Once you know how many you need to call each week, set aside the necessary time on your calendar to make that happen. The key is planning the time and following through on it like any other appointment.

While the phone calls are a pretty simple example, your goals may have been way more involved than that and if you haven’t focused on them most of the year, they may be out of your reach. That’s ok too. Next year is coming but you don’t have to wait for next year. Set a SMART goal that you want to accomplish in the time that is remaining in 2018 and put steps in place to make that happen. Goals don’t have to start at the beginning of the year. You can set goals for a week, month, year or even more. The point is to set goals then put in the work to achieve them. You can do anything if you set your mind to it.

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 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!

*****

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.

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/

Image courtesy of workandapix/pixabay.com

Leaves are falling, pumpkins are everywhere and the days are getting shorter which surely means that fall is here. You probably feel like the holiday season is still a long way off, but it will be here before you know it. If you are planning to send out a Christmas or holiday card to you past clients, businesses, friends, family, neighbors, etc., you need to be thinking about that now. Depending on the kind of card you are sending and how many you plan to send, it may require a significant amount of time to get your cards ready to mail. Here are some great tips to help you get your card mailed by December 1.

5 Tips to Organize Your Holiday Card Mailing

Get Your FREEBIE ~ Holiday Card Checklist NOW!

First, select the kind of card you want to send. You have several options of where you purchase your cards.  You need to decide where you will purchase them.  Maybe at the local super store, order luxury personalized cards to have shipped to you, or will you use an online greeting card company to handle all the details?   You can order a custom card from many websites such as Shutterfly, Wal-Mart or Snapfish that allows you to upload photos, add a personal greeting and will then print the cards for you to pick up in the store or mail them to you. Save a step by having them print your return address or even your mailing addresses if you upload the list to them. They will even complete the process for you by stuffing your cards, adding postage and mailing them. While this may mean your cards get out sooner, it does mean you won’t be able to add a personal greeting to the card so make sure you are comfortable with that trade off. If you want these extra steps done by the company, it will take additional time over just printing your card so make sure you factor that into your time frame so your cards arrive when you would like them to.

There are also options such as SendOutCards and Ink Cards, which will allow you to personalize each individual card. They offer great card options, very quick turnaround and highly customized options but it isn’t without any effort. Sending individually customized greeting cards to everyone on your list will require a larger amount of your time so you may decide you don’t have that amount of time to put into this.

Now that you know the different options and have hopefully decided the approach you want to take, follow these steps to get your card mailed out on time and without too much effort.

• Decide what kind of card you want to send.
• Put your list together with names and addresses.
• Either purchase greeting cards or order your card online with your personal content.
• Purchase stamps if you are mailing yourself.
• Address the cards, stuff them and mail them.

While this task is broken down into just a few steps, some steps may take significant time if you aren’t organized. Locating pictures for your card, putting your address list together and even stuffing your cards if you are sending out a large quantity can take a lot of time. If you really want to send out cards but don’t have the time to invest in this task and get them sent out at the right time, we can help. From organizing your database to stuffing and stamping your cards and everything in between, we can handle as much or as little of the work as you need us to. We truly believe your holiday cards should personally represent you so we will work with you to identify the right kind of card that fits your style and your budget and execute all of the necessary steps so your cards are on time and memorable. Let us know if you would like to schedule a free consultation today.

Don’t forget…Get Your FREEBIE ~ Holiday Card Checklist NOW!

*****

Thanks for watching this weeks video and don’t forget to download your freebies.

If you enjoyed this blog, please SHARE IT, watch it on YouTube and let me know your thoughts, LIKE IT and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my Channel.

One of my most popular blogs to date is What Does Your Voicemail and Texting Habits Say About You.  Read it here

Here we are heading into the last quarter of 2018.  This blog will help you get your finances in order.  Check it out by clicking here.

You can read my other real estate business blogs and get free downloads by visiting https://www.kimhughes.com/resources/real-estate-blog/

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 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!

*****

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.

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/

Image courtesy of Lee_Cannon/flickr.com