Real Estate Best Practices

Coaches, books, classes and seminars aim to capture real estate agents dollars with promises to teach them any number of ways to improve their business. From sales skills to how to close more deals to how to win with expireds (expired listings) and more, everyone has something to teach you.


There's nothing wrong with continuing education, whether it's keeping on top of new laws and regulations or learning how to be more productive. But before you spend an arm and a leg on any of those things, pull up a chair, put on your glasses and peruse the pages in this section of ActiveRain.


It is only here that you can tap into the world's largest online real estate community and actively engage with your peers. Find out what works and what doesn't from those that actually put into practice what others merely teach. Read how-to articles, advice on designations, certifications and continuing education classes. You never know where you will find the inspiration to take your business to the next level. So, pull up a chair and dig in!

Recent blogs on Real Estate Best Practices
By Ray Henson, Realtor
(eXp Realty of California, Inc. (lic. #01878277))
I thought being a real estate agent was going to be filled with long days of happiness and joy.  I had visions of Ren and Stimpy singing, Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, in my head.I quickly learned that could be the case, but many times it would be much more challenging.  I like to call it, what they do not teach you in Real Estate 101.There was the time my client threw disclosures at me and told me to fill them out.  After all, I was his agent.  He also went a little crazy when I called him, "Sir."  I can't really tell you what he said, but it was not nice.There was the time I showed up at a listing agreement and had the homeowners break down in tears over selling their home during the Great Recession.  It is really hard to lose your dream.There was the time I tried to negotiate a short sale ...
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By Stephen Fells, Marketing, Technology, Fun and News!
(AgencyLogic)
Are you a realtor struggling to hit your goals? Do you feel like something is holding you back, but you're not sure what it is? In today's Real Estate Podcast, from Massive Agent Podcast, Dustin Brohm tackles the #1 thing stopping REALTORS from hitting their goals. AgencyLogic shares the best real estate podcasts daily. Click here for more great podcasts!
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By Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP, Selling Homes Changing Lives
(DFW FINE PROPERTIES)
Congratulations Jeff Masich-Scottsdale AZ Associate Broker,MBA,GRI! Jeff successfully completed three extraordinary entries for the March to a Solution|ActiveRain March 2023 Challenge. He received the Virtual Handful of Gold! Read all about Jeff Masich to learn how he separates himself from the pack. He is no ordinary real estate agent who just sells residential properties in Arizona. Peel back the onion skins in the real estate industry's quantity, quality, and competency of agents who sell in his area, and you will learn what Jeff learned and why he is so successful. Jeff Masich is the agent to beat and to my knowledge, he is unbeatable. But then again, I don't live in Arizona, I have just known him for more than a decade on ActiveRain. Jeff's three entries about how he finds solution...
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By Endre Barath, Jr., Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties)
The book "People who Love to Eat Are Always the Best People" is next to me in my home office. It is hands reach to the other ones like Marcus Aurelius, John Wooden and a few others.When I need to relax after a crazy day or take a break I reach out to my favorite people. Well tonight it was Julia Child."...To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and love of creating..." " ...My the things I cheapened by using fat instead of butter, or this instead of that, all for a few cents of economy..."All I can say is she is spot on with both comments and needless to say the older I get the more I follow this motto, do not save a few cents for superb quality. After all you do not need to use a lot of the more expensive items... just a little and it brings your mea...
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By Morris Massre, Real Estate Instructor Broward County Florida
What I am about to write is probably going to irritate a lot of realtors, especially in the South Florida area, but it is necessary to make my point.  I have been practicing since 1997 and over the years I have found that realtors in the South Florida area are their own worst enemy.  Don’t take this personally as my point is to better the profession by pointing out the bad in order for people to create something good.  This has been ignored for far too long.  They are greedy, uneducated for the most part, unethical and treat each other with utter contempt.  Can I back this up?  Sure, but I think everyone reading this knows exactly what I am talking about anyway.  We rarely answer the phone anymore, keep relevant listing information to ourselves in order to keep commissions all to oursel...
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By Morris Massre, Real Estate Instructor Broward County Florida
What I am about to write is probably going to irritate a lot of realtors, especially in the South Florida area, but it is necessary to make my point.  I have been practicing since 1997 and over the years I have found that realtors in the South Florida area are their own worst enemy.  Don’t take this personally as my point is to better the profession by pointing out the bad in order for people to create something good.  This has been ignored for far too long.  They are greedy, uneducated for the most part, unethical and treat each other with utter contempt.  Can I back this up?  Sure, but I think everyone reading this knows exactly what I am talking about anyway.  We rarely answer the phone anymore, keep relevant listing information to ourselves in order to keep commissions all to oursel...
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By Bill Salvatore - East Valley, Realtor - 602-999-0952 / em: golfArizona@cox.net
(Arizona Elite Properties )
To stay competitive and successful in the fast-paced world of real estate, you need to be adaptable. The industry and market is always changing, and agents who can adapt will have a competitive advantage.  Here are 3 key areas that require being adaptable in real estate: Embracing New Technologies One of the most significant changes in real estate over the past decade has been the introduction of new technologies. From online listings to virtual tours, technology has transformed the way agents do business. Today's homebuyers expect to be able to view properties online, use digital signatures, and communicate with agents via email, text, and social media. To stay ahead of the curve, real estate agents must embrace new technologies and use them to their advantage. This could mean buying ...
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By Charles Ross - (785)-819-6944, Love To Help People
(eXp Realty LLC Salina Group)
1. I am a successful real estate agent, attracting clients ready to buy or sell their homes.2. I have the knowledge, skills, and experience to provide the best service to my clients.3. I am confident in my abilities to negotiate deals and close sales.4. I am constantly learning and improving my skills to serve my clients better.5. "My goals are supported by an amazing team that surrounds me and provides encouragement every step of the way."6. I am passionate about real estate, and my enthusiasm is contagious to my clients.7. I am worthy of success, and I attract abundance into my life.8. I am grateful for the opportunity to help people find their dream homes.9. I am focused, driven, and motivated to succeed in my real estate career.10. I believe in myself and my abilities and can achiev...
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By Endre Barath, Jr., Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties)
This post was inspired by Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP  & Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist  hosting and Active Rain Challenge.While fences encroaching on neighbor's property can pose a need for concern, just how prevalent of a concern (or a problem) is this? In my experience, a small number of home sellers actually face this problem, and thus relatively few buyers need to deal with it. Over the past 27 years, I've encountered a total of 3 or 4 encroachment issues. They've generally entailed that a fence was not fully installed over the homeowner’s land, but rather it was partially placed on the neighboring land.  When neighbors get along and are reasonable, this is a non-issue and can be resolved amicably when and if the need arises.  Customarily, that need arises (and...
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By Stephen Fells, Marketing, Technology, Fun and News!
(AgencyLogic)
Everyday AgencyLogic shares real estate podcasts from industry leaders and visionaries.  Here are this weeks podcasts: Real Estate Podcast: Top Techniques for Better Presentations Real Estate Podcast: Low-Cost Ways to Create Your Own Inventory Real Estate Podcast: The 2023 Spring Real Estate Market Real Estate Podcast: $900k in Real Estate at Age 17 By Doing What 99% of Teenagers Won't Real Estate Podcast: Top Agents Show You How to Get More Listings
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By Joseph Domino 480-390-6011, Real Estate Made Easy
(HomeSmart)
There is no question real estate can be a complicated profession. As an Agent you have to be a perceptive consultant, a cautious critic, you must be a good listener, and exhibit a lot of patience. When you are representing the seller, you have to excel at helping them present their property in the best possible way.  If you are representing the buyer, you have to help them locate the best homes and negotiate a fair deal. Each of these roles requires a set of skills that do not necessarily come naturally. Sometimes the clients act in ways that are different from how I might act. But what happens when the buyer – or in this case buyers – are not in agreement with what they want? If the agent tries to please one partner, the other is unhappy. It puts the agent in no win situation.I know th...
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By Will Hamm, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"
(Hamm Homes)
Can never go wrong with some of Lou Ludwig blogs that he shared with us. Your Character Will Become Your Calling Card “Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” J. C. Watts   As I see it. . . . . . . . Your character will become your calling card   Let other judge you by the quality of your character . . . . and let your character be above approach.   The quality of your character will either open the doors of opportunity for you . . . . Or you will find them locked for you and the opportunities lose.   Your character is earned . . . . as a results of your words and deeds and can be lost quickly through your words and actions.   When your ...
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By Denise Lones, CSP, MIRM, CDEI - Real Estate Coaching & Branding
(The Lones Group, Inc.)
Really Knowing Your Real Estate Market Today's Zebra Report is on a very important topic - really knowing your stats and your numbers. Our market may appear to be sending mixed signals, but if you have been tracking and paying attention to your local market then you will not only have a better idea of what's actually happening, but you will be in a position to explain it to both prospects and clients. Here's just one great example. As our market has changed over the last three to six months, I have seen a lot of headlines that look something like. These headlines are very misleading. You need to be able to dive into the stats because when a client comes to you and say, "I just heard that median sales prices in this are have taken a dive!" Well, let's put that into perspective. Let's sa...
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By Melissa Thompson, I'm a real estate agent helping buyers and sellers
(Thompson Real Estate)
Real estate has always been a favorite investment option for many due to its many benefits, including tax advantages, diversification, excellent returns, and predictable cash flow. Unlike bonds and stock investments, investing in real estate allows you to use leverage to purchase a property by making a down payment and then paying off the balance and interest over an extended period.Like any other investment, however, investing in real estate has its own risks that can easily turn your dream of building wealth into a nightmare. That’s why you need to read the best real estate investing books to learn how to become successful in real estate investing. You must also take several factors into consideration before investing in real estate to successfully build a steady stream of wealth. Her...
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By Realtyna Inc, WordPress Real Estate - IDX, RESO Web API, CRM
(Realtyna)
Lavender is a theme for building fast real estate websites via a headless framework.The API-based theme allows developers to create high-performing real estate websites using MLS data.Content is rendered instantly from the WordPress and MLS Router APIs, resulting in near-perfect page scores.Lavender additionally allows you to build your presentation with virtually any front-end framework, which offers a great deal of flexibility and customization options.Sites using Lavender are content and feature-rich while achieving seamless delivery.A beautiful, fast-loading real estate site with Lavender improves user experiences and keeps clients happy.How Does Lavender Work?Lavender works by adopting a headless CMS framework.The WordPress API provides pages, posts, and other data, and MLS Router ...
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By Mike Young, FHA 203k Consultant 916-758-1809
(203kOnLine.com, covering the USA)
203k is alive and well in San FranciscoYour first thought is the home prices in the "city" are way to high for FHA loans. Let's look at that. The maximum loan limit for a SFR is $1,089,300. So You are correct for the most part however. if you consider the 3.5% down the purchase price with ONLY 3.5% down would be covered up to $1,128,808. I had a client who was capible of paying $1,500,000 all in cash but wanted to keep his cash flow available for his franchises. With a loan of $1,128,808 a purchase of $1,500,000 would require only a $371,192 down payment. Be creative with your thinking, think out of the box, tell me what you can do on your next purchase or sale. 
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By Bob "RealMan" Timm, Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker
(Ward County Notary Services)
Frankly I've already said enough about pet odors but what about if you small CRAP outdoors? For some reason Timmothy's cartoon reminded me of the home my parents purchased 51 years ago. It was new construction and it was a beautiful home.I was eager to show all my friends even though mom and dad had not moved in yet. One of my friends, Jeff, who's father did heavy construction, pointed out a little building over the backyard fence and said "that is going to stink".Neither my folks nor I had a clue that the little building was a sewage lift station. I doubt the Realtor knew but if he/she did they were not about to mention it.Jeff was correct BUT honestly in the several years Mom & Dad lived in their new home I think I maybe experienced the foul odor less than a handful of times.Where I l...
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By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
Not a Bozo Bucket For Sure     About 6-7 years ago, I had an inspection scheulded for a client that was buying his very first flip house. He owned a carpet cleaning business and this property was only $30,000. I remember thinking how many carpets he must have cleaned to save up $30K. Nothing was really out of the ordinary on the roof and exterior. The interior was a different story however. As I was in the basement looking at a section of about five  2x8 floor joists, I saw there were termite tunnels and what looked like squishy wood. There were entire sections I could actually squeeze and compress with my hands. There were also a short couple of pieces of 2x6 boards that the seller had attempted to nail in to the termite infested joists to help support the floor above. By attempted I m...
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By Scott Seaton Jr. SLS Home Insp, The Home Inspector With a Heart!
(SLS Home Inspections-Kankakee Will Iroquois Grundy Counties)
Now Just Hold on a Second There.     There are many times when a seller is present at the home inspection. Most of the time they just hang around the house, in the kitchen or family room watching TV or reading, etc. They may say to check with them if we have any questions we need answered. Very helpful and totally fine with me and my buyer. We always remind the buyer that we are in the seller's home and we should wear boot covers, which I bring with for them just in case to respect the home. I also remind the buyers not to discuss anything within earshot of the sellers just to avoid an awkward situation.      Many years ago, one seller decided to change things and make up a new set of home inspection standards. The buyer agent had not yet arrived. As I was removing my ladder and startin...
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By Stephen Fells, Marketing, Technology, Fun and News!
(AgencyLogic)
Slack's constant notifications can be annoying but help is at hand! In this quick video from the Fast Company YouTube channel, JR Raphael teaches you how to ease the pain.
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