http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/ Blog Written for Real Estate Agents Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:39:39 -0500 en-us http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Display-Photo-Albums-on-Your-Real-Estate-Website-or-Blog-85 If you're a real estate agent with a custom website or blog, here's a cool tool you can use. It's called an "Image Gallery" and would be to photos what a blog program (like Wordpress) is to written articles. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:14:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Display-Photo-Albums-on-Your-Real-Estate-Website-or-Blog-85 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?A-Look-at-the-RCS-D-Real-Estate-Divorce-Designation-84 Real estate agents looking to create a specialized niche for themselves might want to consider the RCS-D Divorce Designation. Here's a 30 minute recording of a webinar we did discussing this new designation. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:18:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?A-Look-at-the-RCS-D-Real-Estate-Divorce-Designation-84 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Even-More-2005-Era-Real-Estate-Videos-39 I've found even more of my early real estate videos from 2005. Here's one that was done in late May 2005. Kind of like the format- I'm talking about all of our listings at once. I may have to start doing that again. Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:55:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Even-More-2005-Era-Real-Estate-Videos-39 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Found-my-FIRST-Real-Estate-Video-38 I've been in the process of migrating all of my blog content from half a dozen different locations to the CMS of this website. A few minutes ago I just moved over my very first video home tour from May of 2005. Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:52:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Found-my-FIRST-Real-Estate-Video-38 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Are-Featured-Homes-on-Realtor.com-Worth-It-32 Having coffee with another agent and the topic of Realtor.com came up. He asked if I had tried Featured Homes (where you buy a zip code and your listing is featured as one of four homes at the top of a search). Thought it was a good topic to write on since all of us get hounded for the upsell by their sales reps at renewal time. Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:58:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Are-Featured-Homes-on-Realtor.com-Worth-It-32 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Rappatoni-Crappatoni-77 Anyone else having issues with a Rappatoni MLS today? There's been upgrades or something going on because it blue screened Kim's machine earlier today. She's actually been complaining about it since late last week. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:09:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Rappatoni-Crappatoni-77 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Top-Producer-6-Questions-76 Had an agent in the office ask me how to export a bunch of letters that are contained in a plan from Top Producer 6. Answer: I don't know. I've only used Top Producer 7i and it's not exactly letter export friendly (requires a lot of cutting and pasting). Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:19:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Top-Producer-6-Questions-76 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?2008-is-License-Renewal-Year-78 Just got an email from the Missouri Association of REALTORS reminding us that 2008 is an even-numbered year which of course means it's a license renewal year for all Missouri real estate licensees. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:29:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?2008-is-License-Renewal-Year-78 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Changing-Brokers...-Independent-or-Franchise-Part-2-30 An agent I know is thinking about changing brokerages and trying to decide if he should stay with a franchise or go independent. Yesterday's blog was the first half of my response to him. Today is the conclusion. Sat, 08 Dec 2007 21:44:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Changing-Brokers...-Independent-or-Franchise-Part-2-30 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Changing-Brokers...-Go-Independent-or-Stay-Franchised-29 An agent I know is thinking about changing brokerages as there’s a possible shake up at their broker’s headquarter and they might change franchises. That’s never good news for an agent because change is a distraction from day to day business. Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:44:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Changing-Brokers...-Go-Independent-or-Stay-Franchised-29 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Using-Social-Networking-Sites--Facebook-MySpace-etc.-74 Does anyone here really get leads, prospects, referrals and/or have closed business from Facebook or MySpace or are you just using these sites for SEO reasons? Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:25:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Using-Social-Networking-Sites--Facebook-MySpace-etc.-74 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Quickly-Import-Lists-into-Your-Contacts-31 Here's a piece of software to check out. It's called ListGrabber and is created by company called eGrabber. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:50:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Quickly-Import-Lists-into-Your-Contacts-31 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Coaching-Relo-Clients-70 Was asked by an agent in North Carolina about how we coach relocation clients to ask for us since we're not at a Cartus or Prudential preferred brokerage (i.e. Coldwell Banker or Prudential). Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:48:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Coaching-Relo-Clients-70 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Choosing-a-Smartphone-for-Real-Estate-73 An agent in my office wants to upgrade phones and just asked for my smartphone recommendations. We just migrated from the Treo 650 (Sprint/Palm) to the Cingular/AT&T 8525 (Win). Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:14:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Choosing-a-Smartphone-for-Real-Estate-73 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Building-Relocation-Business-at-a-Brokerage-with-a-Relo-Department-66 Everyone ultimately asks why we would leave Prudential (when they’re a large national player in relocation) for a RE/MAX office (which has no national presence in relo). And it's a valid question. Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:15:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Building-Relocation-Business-at-a-Brokerage-with-a-Relo-Department-66 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Relocation-Lead-Generation-65 Our business up until now has mostly been internet leads that found us that we fought to retain. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:12:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Relocation-Lead-Generation-65 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Relocation-Clients-Part-2-64 This is part 2 of yesterday's post discussing how relocation clients are different than traditional buyers or sellers. Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:19:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Relocation-Clients-Part-2-64 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Relocation-Clients-63 Was asked about relocation by an agent who wants to specialize in it. Here's what I've learned from having worked with relo clients. Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:04:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Relocation-Clients-63 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Anyone-Using-Skype-61 Is anyone using Skype for international/military relocation clients? If so, I have a few questions... Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:48:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Anyone-Using-Skype-61 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Making-HTML-Look-Right-on-Craigslist.-59 Was helping an agent in Colorado create his own HTML Craigslist template. He was using Dreamweaver to make it and it wasn't posting right. Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:02:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Making-HTML-Look-Right-on-Craigslist.-59 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Bank-of-America-Physicians-Loan-Program-71 For any agent that works relocation... Bank of America has a great physician loan program that we've had two clients use over our primary lending partner. Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:33:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Bank-of-America-Physicians-Loan-Program-71 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Getting-More-Craigslist-Calls-57 To get people to call you from Craigslist you have to have something to advertise. My real estate team is buyer oriented and we generally only carry a few listings (I think by weeks end we'll have 10 active listings). Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:49:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Getting-More-Craigslist-Calls-57 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Turning-IVR-Calls-into-Clients-56 Here's how we handle IVR (1-800 Number Recording) call returns. Currently we have a bored housewife that returns every call capture call. Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:33:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Turning-IVR-Calls-into-Clients-56 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?IVR-and-Craigslist-55 Was asked by another agent what I'm doing with Craigslist to generate IVR calls. Here's the scoop. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:04:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?IVR-and-Craigslist-55 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Selling-Advertisements-in-Pre-Listing-Kits-34 Talking to an agent who is trying to get creative. The agent mails out a lot of prelisting kits, and the cost of printing and mailing is killing her. Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:54:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Selling-Advertisements-in-Pre-Listing-Kits-34 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Niches-Lead-to-Riches-62 I'm big on specialization. I think our industry would be a lot more respected if more agents took the time to really learn a specialization well instead of trying to grasp at any deal they get near. Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:18:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Niches-Lead-to-Riches-62 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Craigslist-Results--Who-Uses-Them-54 lot of people have asked what we're doing with Craigslist. From evaluating a year's worth of IVR calls, monitoring what listings get viewings and what the demo is of the prospects we're getting, here's what I can tell you about their users... Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:29:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Craigslist-Results--Who-Uses-Them-54 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Craigslist-Results-53 Let me expound on what I do with Craigslist, as it looks like I hit a nerve based on the comments section of a few other postings on the subject... Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:57:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Understanding-Craigslist-Results-53 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Picking-a-Paper-Shredder-35 Was asked today what brand of paper shredder I'd recommend. Now I usually have an opinion on all things that plug in, and somehow I don't on this... Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:01:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Picking-a-Paper-Shredder-35 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Craigslist-Posting-Template-52 Took an idea from one of the new Craigslist Posting sites that's allowing you to have more than 4 photos. Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:46:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Craigslist-Posting-Template-52 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Why-No-Love-for-IVR-51 I was looking at some of the new Craigslist Posting services that really provide nice HTML output and I'm disappointed that they require you to put in all the specific details about your listings (namely the price) before they let you have the template to post. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 21:11:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Why-No-Love-for-IVR-51 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?On-a-Budget-Don-t-Rule-Out-eBay-67 Don't forget, if you're on a budget some of the best technology isn't always new. I just purchased an HP 4100MFP (B/W printer, copier, color scanner) from eBay for $400. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:57:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?On-a-Budget-Don-t-Rule-Out-eBay-67 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?The-Technology-We-Use-48 Over the past two days I've been introducing you to our team and business. So it makes sense today to introduce you to the technology we use. Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:04:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?The-Technology-We-Use-48 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Introduction-to-Kimberly-and-Our-Business-47 Yesterday I introduced myself. Well, today I should also tell you a little about my wife and team leader, Kimberly as well as a little bit about our business. As I mentioned, my wife is the actual real estate guru. Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:40:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Introduction-to-Kimberly-and-Our-Business-47 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?My-Belated-Introduction-and-Happy-Birthday-to-this-Blog-46 Today is the one year anniversary of when I started this blog for real estate agents. Have to admit, I really thought I would have given up by now! Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:10:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?My-Belated-Introduction-and-Happy-Birthday-to-this-Blog-46 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Designations-75 Was at a training this week and the subject of staging certification came up. They were certifications I had never heard of and they're not through NAR. Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:32:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Designations-75 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Ideas-for-Backing-Up-Laptops-Needed-72 I would like to hear from others about what they're doing for affordable backup solutions. I have 3 laptops that need backed up and most of the solutions I've found are simply out of my budget. I was looking at getting an HP Media Vault. Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:07:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Ideas-for-Backing-Up-Laptops-Needed-72 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Craigslist-Idea-50 Trying to make Craigslist postings easier to do as well as add elements to make the posts look more attractive (i.e. HTML design elements). Sat, 12 May 2007 16:28:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Craigslist-Idea-50 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Craigslist-Success-49 So, I'm playing with Craigslist posting our listings there; but without a price so people will call the IVR/Call Capture system and holy @#$% Craigslist can make the phone ring. Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:18:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Craigslist-Success-49 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Virtual-Assistant-vs.-In-House-69 I got to speak to the agent we know who thinks she's losing her assistant (post from a few days ago). So here's a follow up. Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:09:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Virtual-Assistant-vs.-In-House-69 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Losing-an-Assistant-68 Kim was talking to an agent we know who thinks her main assistant is going to leave her. She's in panic trying to figure out how she's going to replace her. If you're in the same situation, here's my advice. Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:15:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Losing-an-Assistant-68 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Marketing-Solutions-for-Working-with-Builders-60 If you work with rehabbers or builders, here are a couple of good solutions to look at. Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:18:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Marketing-Solutions-for-Working-with-Builders-60 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Bitch-Session-About-Brokers-83 I usually try to keep my blog posts positive, but today I just need a place to bitch and I know there are other agents that read this who won't mind (and might give me their opinions and advice on what to do). Thu, 22 Feb 2007 10:34:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Bitch-Session-About-Brokers-83 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Finding-Good-Agent-Referrals-82 Our team has grown to the point that approximately once a month we have someone ask us for an agent referral in another market (sellers that are relocating, friends and family that are moving in other markets, etc.) Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:23:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Finding-Good-Agent-Referrals-82 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Why-We-Don-t-Use-Agent-Photos-in-Our-Marketing-81 When we started to develop our image as a team, I noticed that with other teams I spoke to there are clients who always want to work with the person who's "in charge" (i.e. the name on the team) and not the "underlings". Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:46:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Why-We-Don-t-Use-Agent-Photos-in-Our-Marketing-81 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?What-I-ve-Been-Up-To-Lately-80 An agent I know in Texas asked me what I've been up to lately since there hasn't been as much activity on my website or blog lately. Unfortunately, other projects have just taken priority, sorry. Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:42:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?What-I-ve-Been-Up-To-Lately-80 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?SharperAgent--Create-High-Quality-Real-Estate-Marketing-79 One of the best things we found at the Prudential trade show in San Antonio last March was a product called SharperAgent. Since we're still in love with it a year later I thought I would offer a review. Sun, 18 Feb 2007 07:14:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?SharperAgent--Create-High-Quality-Real-Estate-Marketing-79 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Photography-Question-58 I use a wide angle lens to take listing photos with (Canon 10-22mm) and my interior photos tend to have dark edges when the room isn't overly bright because the flash isn't wide angle. Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:51:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Photography-Question-58 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Light-Box-Sign-for-a-Condo-Window-40 Here's a random idea from something I just saw for sale on eBay... We all eventually end up with properties where we can't (or don't want to) place signs in yards. Something like this light box sign (below) could be placed in a window. Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:15:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Light-Box-Sign-for-a-Condo-Window-40 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Fix-Your-Own-Printers-33 If you're like me and get tired of replacing printer consumables every 15 minutes and don't mine wearing a tech guy's hat for a second, here's something I thought I would share. Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:53:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Fix-Your-Own-Printers-33 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Settlement-Room-Pricing-45 Was talking to an agent about Settlement Room and they asked me how it compares in pricing to other solutions, so I just dug out my notes from when I purchased it. Sat, 23 Dec 2006 20:49:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Settlement-Room-Pricing-45 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Settlement-Room-Questions-and-Training-Manual-41 Had an agent ask me about Settlement Room after I blogged about it a few months ago. Namely, they wanted to know how hard it was to use. Answer, it's not hard at all. Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:01:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Settlement-Room-Questions-and-Training-Manual-41 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Distractions-in-a-real-estate-office-1 As I'm busy working on other tasks right now (and with the holidays right around the corner) I don't have as much time to blog. So I thought instead I'd repost excerpt from an article Kimberly wrote a while back that applies to the theme of the Agent's Only Blog. Sun, 10 Dec 2006 23:08:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Distractions-in-a-real-estate-office-1 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Alternative-to-Top-Producer-37 Got an email from an agent about my Transaction Management posting a couple of months ago. The discussion quickly turned to the topic of Contact Management software. We both are unhappy Top Producer users. Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:05:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Alternative-to-Top-Producer-37 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?More-Statistics-about-Being-an-Agent-Part-3-28 Over the past two days I've looked at statistics that show how many hours the typical agent works as well as income and other employment facts. Here's more. Tue, 14 Nov 2006 14:51:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?More-Statistics-about-Being-an-Agent-Part-3-28 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?More-Statistics-about-Being-an-Agent-Part-2-27 Yesterday I started looking at some of the statistics I found while researching last month's blogs on how commissions are paid. The first statistic showed agents worked an average of 46 hours a week, and 20% work 60 or more. Here are a few more stats to know. Mon, 13 Nov 2006 14:32:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?More-Statistics-about-Being-an-Agent-Part-2-27 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Interesting-Real-Estate-Statistics...-Hours-an-Agent-Works-26 Last month I explained how the industry works, how agents are employed, and how commissions are paid out. In researching for that article I found some very interesting real estate industry statistics... Sun, 12 Nov 2006 14:20:00 -0600 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Interesting-Real-Estate-Statistics...-Hours-an-Agent-Works-26 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-The-Summary-25 The most important thing to realize in understanding real estate compensation is to understand that you truly are working for the client (buyer or seller) and not the broker or brokerage. Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:11:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-The-Summary-25 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-Part-4-24 Yesterday we showed how on a $200,000 home sale with 6% commission being paid by the seller, a fairly good experienced agent could expect to get paid just under $2,000 in commission after broker/franchise splits, reoccurring marketing expenses and taxes. But that's not all you need to know. Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:32:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-Part-4-24 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-Part-3-23 Over the past week we've been discussing how commissions in real estate get broken down. It's easy to believe agents "get rich" selling real estate- on even the smallest of properties- if you look at the whole commission and assume it's going to one person, which is seldom the case. Sun, 22 Oct 2006 11:33:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-Part-3-23 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-Part-2-22 Yesterday we established how the MLS plays a role in determining commissions, then we looked at a segment of the industry called "non-traditional" brokerages. Now let’s go back to the traditional residential agent working with traditional full-service listings that are a part of the MLS. Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:13:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-Part-2-22 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-21 Over the past few days, I have discussed how real estate agents get paid by showing the relationship the agent has with their employer, how most employers pay their agents and by looking at all of the various options that exist within the real estate industry. Fri, 20 Oct 2006 22:36:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Breaking-Down-Commissions-21 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Understanding-Your-Options-Part-2-20 The real estate industry also gives you freedoms that other industries just don’t have. Even though many agents focus on a specific geography to sell in, there are no requirements to do so other than to be licensed or registered with the appropriate governmental agencies. Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:23:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Understanding-Your-Options-Part-2-20 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Understanding-Your-Options-19 Today I would like to continue that discussion by explaining all of the various options that exist within the real estate industry because my experience is that most new agents are unaware of all the options they have available to them. Wed, 18 Oct 2006 22:07:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Agents-Get-Paid-Understanding-Your-Options-19 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Do-Agents-Get-Paid-Part-2-18 Since the average first year real estate agent is usually someone who enters the industry from another career (generally outside of sales), the next piece to understanding compensation is to realize that it will probably be unlike any other job you have ever had. Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:53:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Do-Agents-Get-Paid-Part-2-18 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Do-Agents-Get-Paid-17 Recently I had a new real estate agent ask some very simple questions about how agents are compensated. So I thought I would take the next few days to write a multi part blog on how the real estate industry works, what your options are as an agent, and how agents get paid. Mon, 16 Oct 2006 11:55:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?How-Do-Agents-Get-Paid-17 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Settlement-Room-Benefits-44 A few days ago I discussed an online real estate product called "The Settlement Room" that you use to manage real estate transactions from the time of contract (buyer) or listing (seller) to close. Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:38:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Settlement-Room-Benefits-44 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Transaction-Management-Systems-36 We recently started using a Transaction Management System, or TMS, to automate and manage our contract to close process. If you don't know what a TMS is, it's an online collaborative project management tool. Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:33:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Transaction-Management-Systems-36 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Open-House-Action-Plan-for-CRM-Top-Producer-43 See yesterday's post first. Here's a second listing Action Plan I'm working on- for open houses. Haven't gotten as far on this one. Would LOVE some agent feedback (especially if you'll share a finished product!) Fri, 15 Sep 2006 20:37:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Open-House-Action-Plan-for-CRM-Top-Producer-43 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Listing-Action-Plan-for-CRM-Top-Producer-42 Would love to have some other agents give me feedback on this. I’m in the process of creating a Listing Action Plan for Top Producer. Below is a rough draft. Thu, 14 Sep 2006 20:37:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Listing-Action-Plan-for-CRM-Top-Producer-42 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Crimes-Against-Real-Estate-Agents-16 If you’re not from St. Louis (or haven’t read the news lately) there were two real estate agents robbed at open houses in the St Louis area last week. One had their car stolen; the other was kidnapped at gun point where he was forced to take money out of an ATM. Fri, 08 Sep 2006 11:39:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Crimes-Against-Real-Estate-Agents-16 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?More-Random-Thoughts-on-a-Topic-that-s-been-Beaten-to-Death-15 I have some additional random thoughts on the topic of the past few days- getting licensed to sell your own rehabbed homes vs. hiring an agent... Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:47:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?More-Random-Thoughts-on-a-Topic-that-s-been-Beaten-to-Death-15 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-5-14 Today is Day 5 of this topic as we look at we continue with the disadvantages that a real estate investor would have by holding their own real estate license (either as a salesperson working for a broker or as their own broker). Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:28:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-5-14 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-4-13 Today is the fourth installment of this topic as we look at the advantages and disadvantages a real estate investor would have in holding their own real estate license (either as a salesperson working for a broker or as their own broker). Tue, 08 Aug 2006 16:58:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-4-13 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-3-12 Two days ago I started addressing the question above with a list of pros and cons. The biggest advantage (which I addressed on Day 1) was saving money. It was a long explanation because it's a complex subject. Mon, 07 Aug 2006 14:25:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-3-12 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-2-11 Yesterday I started addressing a question on why a real estate investor might want a real estate brokers license with a list of pros and cons. Today I'd like finish the reasons why you want to do this. Sun, 06 Aug 2006 13:36:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-Part-2-11 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-10 I was asked, "I am going to be rehabbing homes and doing a little bit of property management. I am really confused about whether or not to become a licensed broker." Here's my answer... Sat, 05 Aug 2006 01:43:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Should-a-Real-Estate-Investor-Hold-Their-Own-Real-Estate-License-10 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-6-9 When I started the original St Louis Real Estate Blog in 2004 it went hand in hand with the creation of a new website for Kimberly (what is now stlagent.com). Sat, 08 Jul 2006 00:42:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-6-9 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-5-8 When I started blogging in 2004 there weren’t a lot of local commercial blogs in St. Louis (actually, I couldn’t find ANY- including other local real estate blogs). That was a problem for me because I really wasn’t sure exactly what my blog should look like or say. Fri, 07 Jul 2006 00:42:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-5-8 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-4-7 Yesterday I ended with the question, why is it real estate agents have jumped on the blogging bandwagon? Thu, 06 Jul 2006 00:42:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-4-7 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-3-6 In early 2005, I was interviewed for a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on blogging in the workplace. The reporter joked that she had been given the story assignment because blogs were in the news, but I was the only example of a commercial blog she could find in the St. Louis area. Wed, 05 Jul 2006 00:43:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-3-6 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-2-5 Yesterday I was explaining what a blog is and how the technology opened up internet publishing to the common man. The perfect example of how this changed the internet in 2004 could be seen in politics. Tue, 04 Jul 2006 00:42:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-Part-2-5 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-4 Welcome to my new blog! This posting is a continuation of my last posting (Death of a Blog, Parts 1 &2 ) where I’m going to discuss the value of blogging for real estate agents. Mon, 03 Jul 2006 00:42:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Real-Estate-Blogging...-WHY-4 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Death-of-a-Blog-Part-2-3 My background prior to real estate was in technology marketing and sales. And because I’m now on a team with people who do the "real work", I have the luxury of ignoring the day to day sales tasks to focus on the big picture technology and marketing tasks. Sun, 02 Jul 2006 00:28:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Death-of-a-Blog-Part-2-3 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Death-of-a-Blog-2 A couple of Fridays ago I caught up with a few other real estate agents at a local watering hole. Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:28:00 -0500 http://www.stlagent.com/blogs/agentsonly/a.php?Death-of-a-Blog-2