While the overall tone of the email was obviously very pro Board membership, it did finally serve up the elusive, “five greatest points of value” to REALTOR membership.   As I re-read the list over and over, I couldn’t help but be overcome with what one can only describe as sadness.    It was not that I didn’t understand the “greatest points”—I did.  And, it wasn’t that GAR was doing a poor job articulating the message—the email was incredibly heartfelt and sincere.   As a matter of fact it was the email’s gut-wrenching sincerity playing against a backdrop of actual reality that made the email seem; otherworldly.  Maybe more like a “letter” from another time. 

The first of the “greatest points” was what the author called associating with the “best of the best”.   It strongly made the case an agent is greatly benefited from being associated with “the best”.   And, as the email points out, REALTORS are the “best of the best”.   It was an impassioned plea that offered both encouragement and indoctrination into the collective mind-set of what being “the best” means.    The problem with this message; it’s woefully out of touch with reality. 

I have stood in rooms filled with REALTORS and heard similar speeches before.    But, aside from the speaker, no one in the audience believed it.   It takes nothing to become one of “the best”.  Pay your dues and you are in.  There are no milestones, no metrics or any standards whatsoever.  Pay the $400 a year Board dues and you are “the best”.    Hearing that I stood in a room with “the best of the best” and knowing at least half dozen agents in the room, where in fact, terrible agents, makes GAR’s number one “greatest” point kind of laughable.  We weren’t the best, we were simply a group of people who all paid the $400 bucks.  We were nothing more, nothing less.   I don’t doubt the speaker, who has been drinking this kool-aid for so long, really did believe in what he is saying.  But, I can assure you, the audience did not. 

Another of the “greatest points” that jumped off the page was “networking”.   I am not entirely sure what the author meant by “networking”.   But, considering a large segment of today’s Realtors think myspace.com is old school networking, I doubt there is much agreement.  Armed with dozens of social networking sites, user groups, and online communities, I really doubt many people under 45 would consider GAR as a viable networking partner.  Why would they?   I remember years and years ago networking opportunities meant passing out business cards in some hotel ballroom while drinking screw-cap wine and eating low-grade cheese.   Does GAR really think that is the way “networking” is done today? 

Two other areas the email highlighted as part of the “greatest points” were: “education and resources”.   I have absolutely no knowledge or experience with GAR’s education and or their resources.  I am sure they provide in this regard.  But again, the Internet provides hundreds of ways I can get both education and resources for FREE.  And, if GAR was really a good source of information in these areas, I would have learned or heard about them from any number of other user communities I am associated with.    Perhaps the value is there, but at the very least it has a low “word-of-mouth” quotient within the electronic community. 

The final “greatest point” identified in the email was “advocacy”.   It is hard to argue with this point.  It is also equally hard to care about it either.   Congressional tax utilization, extensions to appropriations bills and other forms of financial reform are all valid endeavors but not that relatable to your average sales agent.  If you are part-time sales agent, how excited can you really get over political turf wars?  Annual Board dues of over $400 dollars a year are basically $35.00 a month.  For that kind of money, I can take my wife/husband to lunch once a month.  I can give the kids a pizza party once a month.  I can have the car detailed once a month.  The point being, I can do any number of things for myself and my family that are far more immediately beneficial than say, paying political lobbyists.   Most agents will readily agree with the concept of political advocacy.   However, most will also say; “not on my dime”.      

Perhaps it’s just me, but I always thought advocacy projects should be funded by the corporate offices of national brokerages and or those agents who voluntarily contribute to the cause.  “Voluntarily” being the operative word.   Then again, the Board system isn’t exactly big on being voluntary.  What would Board membership be if it wasn’t forced down the throats of local agents by their Brokers’ franchise agreements?   

From this recent email it certainly appears like the 20-teens version of GAR will be pretty much the same as the 1970’s version of GAR.   The “greatest points” don’t seem to take into consideration any changes in culture or attitudes since the 1970s.    And, I guess that is why I always had trouble with understanding GAR’s mission.  Surely, they can’t still be serving up the same 3 decade-old rhetoric.   Well, now I finally understand they are pushing the same stale message.  And, this is where my sense of sadness comes from. 

It reminds me of Willie Mays.  I, like millions, idolized him.  But, when he came back and played his final year with the New York Mets, he was terrible.  He was sad to watch.   It was embarrassing.  Time had passed him by and no one could tell the great Willie Mays he was no longer useful and it was time move on.   I am guessing GAR had its day.   Perhaps not at the level of idolization Willie had, but at least they were well known.   And, if you can’t keep up with the times you have get to get out of the way.   Trying to work against time and hang on to past glories never works.   Just ask Willie.

Through this partnership, FMLS members will receive both special discounted pricing as well as long-term pricing protection.

Xceligent’s system will include:
Fully researched property database, complete with photos
Proactively verified sale and lease listings
Tenant Profiles
Researched sales comparables
Broadcast email tool
Demographics
Quarterly analytics
Xceligent representatives will be in Atlanta over the coming weeks to discuss their research and launch plans. They will be having open meetings with FMLS members on November 29, December 5, and December 12, at 9am at our main office in Sandy Springs.

If you wish to attend one of these sessions, please select a date and RSVP to kwoodard@xceligent.com.

Apparently the Board members at the Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR) aren’t Netflix subscribers.  For as long as anyone can remember, GAR has been providing licensed real estate salespersons legal contracts and forms to use in their businesses for free.  Rumor has it, as of 1/1/2012 those same forms that were freely give out will now cost every real estate sales agent not affiliated with a local realty Board $199.00 a year. Same old forms, now with a new price.  From the GAR perspective, it kinda sounds like free money?  I also want to point out that as of today this change is still a rumor because in the Netflix tradition GAR has yet to officially announce anything.  Why rush, its only late October, not like January 1st is 2 months away or anything. 

Why the sudden change?  We can only guess.   We are talking about legal contracts.  And, as everyone on planet Earth knows if you attached the word “legal” to anything, it implies lawyers were involved and that means the outlay of Wall Street-type money.  Yes, it did cost GAR a princely sum to create all their contracts and forms.  But, these costs were paid over the years by Realtors in the form of the dues.  Realtors pay over $450.00 a year to be members of their local realty Boards.  A portion of that money is then paid to GAR. 

The problem with the Realtor/Board/GAR arrangement is that over the last few years licensed real estate agents are leaving Boards in droves.  Sales agents are not paying their Board dues.  No Board dues mean lost revenue to GAR.  This also means that non-Board sales agents are getting to use GAR forms without having to pay dues.  Are Board-paying Realtors footing the GAR tab for non-Board-paying sales agents?  That doesn’t seem fair.   

There is clearly a disconnect that GAR is trying to remedy.  Their strategy to fix this situation is to go after the non-Board paying real estate sales agents.  Make them pay to use what was once free.  And, that is certainly one way to look at this problem.  But, is the non-Board paying sales agents really the right target?

Sales agents are not paying their GAR dues because they are not joining or participating in local realty Boards.  Randomly ask 100 different sales agents what they think about local realty Boards and the responses you will get run the gamut from outright laughter to expressive language not suited for this article.  It’s fairly safe to say not many agents know or can articulate whatever benefits they realize from Board membership.  And, I am also not certain the Boards themselves can articulate their own message very well either.  One prominent local Atlanta Board still lists “prestige” as being the number one benefit realized from board membership.   Seriously—prestige?  If you think for one moment there is an ounce of prestige realized from Board membership, stop reading this article. 

What if the local realty Boards did provide real value to area agents?  Real estate salespeople are very open to almost anything that will give them an edge.  And, collectively, agents spend millions of dollars trying to get that edge.  So is it really the money agents have a problem with when considering Board membership?  Or, is the real problem agents perceive no value in Board membership.   If you think you never get a return on an investment, why would you continue to invest?     

In an effort to fix their dues/contracts and forms problem, GAR has elected to go after the agent.  They could have just as easily gone after the local realty Boards.  GAR could have demanded local Boards do their job and create value within their programs.  It’s not quite a baseball movie in a cornfield but, if you create value and need—they will come.  And, they will pay.  Problem solved. 

Like the industry itself, GAR is stuck in an antiquated business model.  They are dependent on local realty Boards.  Realty Boards may have meant something in the past but their value in today’s market is marginal at best. 

Sadly, in most cases, real estate sales agents don’t have free choice when it comes to Board membership.  Brokers, with perhaps franchise agreements requiring they support and enforce Board participation, impose the yearly fee on its agents.  “If you want to work with ABC, you have to join a Board”. 

But, in recent years, smaller independent realty brokerages are breaking away from tradition and not associating themselves with local realty Boards. Oddly, if a Broker doesn’t participate in realty Boards, then none of the agents affiliated with that brokerage are even allowed to join a Board.  This tells us something about the Board business model if they won’t allow free choice.  Name another business model that operates like that?

For a huge percentage of realty professionals, Boards are a failure.  And with GAR stepping out from behind them, it perhaps sends a signal that their day has finally come.    

Getting Boards out of the picture may actually be GAR’s plan.  Agents will continue to comparison shop.  Pay Board dues of $450 and get GAR contracts and forms.  But, agents will soon be able to pay $199 directly to GAR and get the same contracts and forms.   If an agent perceives no realized value from a Board, then the cost savings of over $250 is a no-brainer.   Of course this only applies to sales agents whose brokerages are not tied to franchise agreements. 

When will franchise brokerages step away from local realty Boards?  Probably never.  Traditional franchise brokerages hang on to the past like it’s the last chopper out of Nam.  They will never let to go of their glory days when their brand actually meant something to the average consumer.

If the GAR strategy is to move away from Boards or simply raise prices we may never know.  But we do know this; new contract and form companies will surely emerge.  And, you can bet the farm they will be less than half the price of GAR.  Even GAR admits this and has said they welcome the competition.    

One has to wonder if GAR realizes what they have is a static product.  It’s not like agents will want to use the more expensive GAR contracts because they have more pizazz!  Consumers could care less which, legally binding valid contract is used.   

The Netflix pricing decision has turned previously unaware consumers into anti Netflix advocates.   “You’re still using Netflix”?  Loyalty is lost within a blink of an eye.

Good luck, GAR!

Wynd Realty is also announcing a yearly transaction cap for its agents that will begin with the calendar year of 2012.  Starting next year, agents reaching a transaction plateau of $5,000, within the calendar year, will no longer pay the standard $300 transaction fee for each closing.  After reaching the plateau of $5,000, agents will only be charged a $50 processing charge for all subsequent sales through the end of that calendar year.

Wynd Realty prides itself in being the low-cost brokerage alternative to traditional franchise formats.  These new agent-centric features complement Wynd’s core philosophy of a common sense approach toward agent expense management. 

Wynd Realty, founded in 2007, services the entire Atlanta Georgia metropolitan area with an active roster of over 250 agents.

The real estate industry continues to be mired in its worst slump in history.  And, without any radical changes coming anytime soon; it hardly appears to be that great a time to be a sales agent.    

Well, it’s all a matter of perspective.

For many, real estate sales are incredibly stressful.  The industry’s own membership association confirms this by citing fairly large percentages associated with agent turnover and burnout.  You would hardly think those statistics as a ringing endorsement.  But, for tens of thousands of area agents, real estate sales are just fine; as a matter of fact, they’re great.    

Again, it’s all a matter of perspective. 

If you are a full-time sales agent solely dependent on income realized from commissions, there couldn’t possibly be a worse time to be in real estate sales.  This article is not about your perspective.  But, if you view real estate sales as an incremental opportunity that enhances upon your other forms of income, then you have already realized how important your real estate license can be. 

Take the following sentence: “I made 12K in real estate sales last year”.  If you busted your butt full-time to make that 12K, you may want to reconsider your position going forward.  But, if you worked part-time, on your own terms, to make 12K, your real estate license becomes a huge quality-of-life advantage for you and your family.

As mentioned, the real estate industry has incredibly high sales agent failure rates.   These failures are in large part due to the fact that success is often judged against those who work on a full-time basis.   The vast majority of people entering real estate, “think” they can do sales.  Truth be told, very few can.  To be a successful full-time, self-sustaining, real estate sale agent you must have a skill set that not many have.  Unfortunately the skill set required to be a successful sales agent has little or nothing to do with an actual transaction of real estate.  It has everything to do with lead generation, networking, database management and continually hunting for the next customer.  If you don’t have those skills, you will be a failure as a full-time agent.  But, that doesn’t mean you will be a failure in real estate; it’s just a matter of perspective.

Instead of having the, I need 5 new clients every month to survive type pressure, part-time sales resets the expectation level.    As a matter of fact, don’t set any expectation.  What would make sense, a transaction every year?  How about two transactions in five years?   Think of your real estate license as a skill set.  A skill set that when used, generates income.   Do a personally inventory; how many of your skills sets can actually make you money?

If you enter real estate with the dreams of turning over a steady stream of McMansions, chances are you will fail.  Instead of that unrealistic expectation, why not have the perspective of;  real estate being a great tool you can use that could actually yield money. 

Consider how many part-time jobs are actually challenging?  Every real estate transaction is different, with its own set of unique obstacles.   How many part-time jobs allow a person to flex their communications and strategy skills?    If you think negotiating a sales price isn’t strategic, you probably are bad at it.   How many part-time jobs have the flexibility of real estate?  So what if you only do showings after 5pm and on weekends; you’d be surprised how many clients really don’t mind.  And finally, how many part-time jobs have real estate commission-like paydays?  Outside of part-time doctors, lawyers, CPA’s and such, I challenge you to think of a single instance.    

Having a part-time mindset allows you to keep all the fun traits that where probably the reason you got into of real estate in the first place.    Working full-time in real estate is unbelievably stressful from very high expectations that will ultimately spiral into burnout.   Working part-time in real estate is low stress, low impact and can be done for the rest of your life. 

There was a time, not too long ago actually, when it took over 100 dollars a month to have a license fully activated with a brokerage.  One hundred dollars a month, and you still really weren’t that welcome.    “We have only closers” you are told.   And, just because an agent is holding down two jobs doesn’t mean they get a pass on meeting the expectations of their Broker in terms of time and energy spent on real estate.    If you’ve ever had that “we not seeing the effort and focus from your Broker speech”, you know how difficult writing that $100 check can be. 

Times have changed.  Today, Brokers like Wynd Realty promote real estate as the greatest part-time job of all time.  And for agents, casting a line out for business is so much easier and cheaper than it used to be.   You can activate your license at a fraction of the old cost.  Have a professional website for less than $10 a month.  And if you are computer savvy, you have access to an entire new universe through social media.  And it’s all free!      

Yes, the industry continues to slump.  Should that stop you from trying?  Unemployment stands at 10%.  That is absolutely horrible, until you consider that also means 90% are working.  Which type of person are you: half full or half empty?

DBA’s traditionally have been used by larger firms or franchises to carve out specific niches.   Wynd Realty is the only brokerage in the Atlanta marketplace that extends DBA capability to individual agents.   Through this unique Program, sales agents are allowed to market and promote their work under their own brand as opposed to marketing themselves as an extension of their Broker’s brand.  “Sales agents run their own businesses, it simply makes sense they are allowed to brand their own companies.  Why should an agent focus their money and attention to help promote someone else’s brand?”  said Jeff Bergstrom, Founder and Managing Broker of Wynd Realty. 

Wynd Realty is the only Atlanta-area real estate brokerage that allows agents to become DBAs.  Traditional real estate franchises aren’t interested in agents creating their own brands because it detracts from the brand of their franchise.   Wynd Realty, defined as a “micro Broker”, sees their role as a “brokerage services company”.  The distinction may seem subtle, but their approach is vastly different from the norm. 

“We market our company to real estate agents only.   We don’t market Wynd to home buyers and sellers.  Studies have shown the brokerage brand isn’t as important as it once was.  It’s the brand of the agent that is important and remembered by the consumer”, said Bergstrom.  Adding, “National franchises like to boast about the numbers of agents they have as some sort of competitive advantage.  But, in reality, real estate is local.  To the seller, who cares how many agents you have, their only concern is the specific agent selling their house on their street”. 

Wynd Realty was founded in 2007 and currently has an active roster of 250 sales agents.  To learn more about becoming a DBA and other Wynd Realty programs, call: 404-933-4017, select option #3.

reOneSpot is an all-in-one platform that seamlessly integrates a series of software tools useful to both Brokers and agents.   The tool set covers a wide variety of user applications.  The key to these types of products, and there are many on the market, is that the data, the users data, is accessible from anywhere at any time.  There is no denying that moving forward people will need to have access to everything they deem important at all times.   Logistically, this may mean a shift in how people perceive their computer data. 

Real Estate Technologies Inc delivers their reOneSpot as an application service.  You can visit their website and learn more about the specifics but in short your data and their application reside elsewhere.  Meaning they are not installed on your PC.  If you are familiar with Google mail for example, you realize all your folders and mails are not on your hard drive.  This approach is how you can achieve access from anywhere at any time.   The advantages are huge.  There is no special hardware or software to buy and from a technology standpoint the user is hands-off. 

I would suggest to everyone they learn more about these types of agent/broker tool set application services.   The approach has been extremely successful in other industries. 

So, after you have bought-into the application services concept, you should then look at the specific tools that are available.  reOneSpot has 20 different tools and by their own admission they admit to being a “swiss army knife” for both Brokers and agents.   That is a lot to take in.  I would think a more 80/20 approach in marketing would focus their message.  (Focus on the 20% of features used by 80% of their clients and hammer those points home)  As is, I really don’t take away exactly what reOneSpot’s best features are.   Then again, maybe they, the features, are like children, no one more special than the other.   

To learn more about Real Estate Technologies Inc and their reOneSpot product offering visit:

www.reOneSpot.com  You can read about each of their specific tools and how it may relate to your own businesses. 

To schedule a demo, please call:

David Drake

Exec. VP, COO & CMO
404.406.1604 – Direct
888.991.7768 – Main
DDrake@reOneSpot.com
www.reOneSpot.com

 Under the program, simply known as “the DBA Program”, agents can create and market their own realty companies as their own brand.  Traditionally, agents have been tied to their Brokers for both marketing communications and identity branding.  But, under Wynd’s DBA Program, Jane Doe can create, build and market Jane Doe Realty or any other name she wants to use as her corporate identity.   She can create a logo, print literature and build a website all under the brand she chooses. 

 “This is really an extension of our Micro Broker concept and it highlights how the Brokers role has become, at least at the consumer level, a background function”, said Jeff Bergstrom, Managing Broker of Wynd Realty.   Wynd believes the consumers’ relationship with the agent is far more important than the relationship the agent has with whichever Broker they are associated with.  Recent surveys appear to back that claim.  Consumer Reports states there is little or no difference between brokerages big or small.  And, Broker affiliation has no effect on an agent’s ability to service and realize new customers.   Instead of the Broker being front and center and sharing in a percentage of the revenue, Wynd Realty’s unique business model moves the Broker to the background where they can charge a simple flat fee.  “From a marketing standpoint we simply get out of the way of our agents and their marketing efforts.  Traditional brokerages don’t operate under that business model”, noted Bergstrom.  

 “I believe agent branding has a huge potential for growth.  New realty companies could literally sprout up over night.  They could specialize in particular areas, types of real estate and types of buyers.  And the result is the playing field between a multi-billion dollar franchise operation and a single agent branding a specialty would be leveled, said Bergstrom.

 Another factor helping the development of DBA companies is technology.  Websites used to be very expense and almost impossible for the novice to update.  Today, professional looking websites are readily available for under $20.00 a month and if you can edit a Word document you can edit a webpage.  Providing consumer access to the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) system used to be cumbersome and expensive.  Today, an agent’s website can easily integrate an area’s MLS information and the ability to do so is now free.  

 While Wynd Realty is very excited about its DBA Program, it’s quick to point out the Program isn’t for everyone.  Agents have to have a certain degree of drive to make their company happen.  Fortunately, the DBA Program helps agents focus.  “When you are just another agent in a sea of agents you can tend to get lazy.  But, when it’s your name on the sign it helps bring clarity to your mission”, said Bergstrom.

 Wynd Realty, located in Atlanta Georgia, was founded in 2008 and has over 180 agents.  To read more about Wynd Realty and the Micro Broker concept, contact Jeff Bergstrom at, 404-933-4017 or visit their website: www.WyndRealty.com  Micro Broker is a trademark of Wynd Realty

Please let us know if you have experience, good bad or otherwise, with any marketing, management or sales tool.   We are always looking to expand our list.

Lead Capture

                www.BuyerAcquire.com
                www.ArchAgent.com

Lead Management & Web Traffic

                www.Reply.com
                www.HouseHunt.com
                www.RealTAG.com

Agent Websites

                www.Homestead.com
                www.Intagent.com

Marketing

                www.MagnetsUSA.com

Mail

                www.ecampaignpro.com
                www.expresscopy.com

Realty Software

                www.WiseAgent.com
                www.RealtyStar.com
                www.RealData.com

Social Networking

                www.ActiveRain.com
                www.Trulia.com
                www.Zolve.com

Homestead offers a library of over 200 professionally designed website templates.  If anything, there are too many.  After awhile the sites all blend together and choosing can be frustrating.  And, the template is just the starting point.  What you finally end up with may not look like the original at all because you can easily change colors, add your own graphics or delete certain design elements.  It’s best to have an idea of what you want prior to beginning your search.      

Homestead allows you to create an unlimited number of pages.  Be careful here because you don’t want to create too large a site because ultimately you will need to keep it all updated.  Also, remember, you are not inventing the wheel here.  There are plenty of agent sites already in place.  Look at other sites and pick out what you like and don’t like.  You can model your pages after a compilation of sites you have reviewed.  Laying out the pages is not as hard as you think because most all agent sites have the same core of informational pages.   For example, everyone has an “About” page and a “Featured Listings” page.

Many agents have a fear of making changes or screwing things up.  With Homestead those fears are erased.  The user interface is friendly and not intimating at all.  The preview function allows you to see exactly what you are doing as you are going along so there is no reason to ever “publish” a site that is not exactly what you want. 

Homestead also “hosts” your site.  In the 3 ½ years with them, I have had only one minor instance where there was a short interruption of service. 

Support is always available from Homestead.  The team is very knowledgeable and will correct whatever issues you bring to them.   The only negative I have ever experienced with Homestead is, at some times with support, there is a bit of a superior attitude. 

Prices begin at $19.95 a month.  You get the website, hosting and support for under $20 a month.  I can’t imagine it getting much better.  And, don’t discount the fact you are dealing with a long-time industry player, and not some temporary fly-by-night.  (Homestead is owned by Iniut, maker of Quickbooks)

Having your own website adds tremendous value to your business.  With Homestead, it’s easier than you think and the price is realistic.  We recommend Homestead highly!