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My face is not my brand

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, April 18, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=93947464" target="_blank">Headshots</a> image via Shutterstock.

I am not sure why anyone would ever want to get a group of real estate agents all riled up. But if they did, they could just bring up the topic of agent business cards.

Business cards themselves are not controversial. But just ask agents if real estate agents should have their face on their cards. Some agents have pictures of themselves on their cards -- and on their lawn signs, and all over their websites, too.  more...

You can't fire me, I quit!

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, April 11, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=21919153" target="_blank">Cat and mouse</a> image via Shutterstock.

We like to think that if we do a great job and stay in touch with our past clients that they will hire us again.

Sometimes they do and sometimes they do not. Doing an amazing job and staying in touch with past clients is important, but certainly no guarantee of repeat business.

There are so many people who can provide a similar service, and we are all so friendly. I have had several clients throughout my career who were very satisfied with their previous Realtor, but worked with me instead.  more...

Tech-savvy agents have an edge in seller's market

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, April 4, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=87259519">Agent with buyers</a> image via Shutterstock.

Spring has not yet arrived in the frozen northland, but the real estate market has felt like a spring market since the end of last year. It also feels like a seller's market in several, but not all, neighborhoods. 

These past few weeks I am reminded of the strategies I used during the last seller's market. Agents who have gotten their licenses in the last five to eight years may have never experienced a seller's market.  more...

Homebuyers don't ask who's got the best pizza

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, March 28, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=84904912" target="_blank">Pizza</a> image via Shutterstock.

The real estate market is a lot like it was a decade ago. Homes don't stay on the market for long.

Most of us who work with buyers are spending some serious time looking for houses for them. Then we're trying to get them into the house to see it before someone else makes an offer on it. We're also working hard to find more sellers as the inventory of homes continues to plummet.  more...

Real estate needs more women in leadership roles

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, March 21, 2013.
Screen shot from Inman News "100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders" report.

One of the reasons I was attracted to being a real estate agent is because there is no glass ceiling. Women are paid the same amount -- and the same way -- men are paid.

There are more women working as real estate agents than men, and we sell more real estate than men sell. There are all kinds of theories as to why we are good at it, but we are.  more...

Why brokers' attempts to woo agents fall flat

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, March 7, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=95081239" target="_blank">Date</a> image via Shutterstock.

The recruiting emails and postcards continue to arrive in my mailbox and inbox from a variety of real estate companies.

Business is better now, and let's face it: The brokerage with the most agents selling real estate wins.  more...

How do you define success?

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, February 28, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=94008751" target="_blank">Success</a> image via Shutterstock.

I have been searching for the definition of a successful real estate agent. I have asked real estate agents and brokers from around the country, clients, neighbors, and industry experts.

One real estate agent I consider successful because he has sold so many homes told me that he defines success as the ability to support his family the way he wants to.  more...

Top 10 photographic 'crimes' agents commit

By Teresa Boardman, Friday, February 22, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=117897490" target="_blank">Camera phone</a> image via Shutterstock.

Real estate agents take snapshots to document homes for sale as if to say, "This home has a dining room." What their photographs should be marketing is the dining room as a great space to spend time dining with friends and family.

Photography can be used for marketing real estate, but often agents just take a few quick snapshots instead of hiring a pro. I have never seen poorly photographed shoes on the Zappos website. It's also rare to see poorly photographed products on Pinterest, or in the Target store flier that comes with the Sunday newspaper.  more...

Only you can decide if Chromebook is right for real estate

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, February 14, 2013.
Samsung Chromebook image via Google.com

Last week I field tested a Samsung Chromebook.

Over the holidays the local Best Buy store ran out of them. They were also out of stock on Amazon.com, with a waiting list to buy one. I wanted to know what all the hype was about.  more...

Agents only a component of real estate 'customer experience'

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, February 7, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=71104495" target="_blank">Homebuyers</a> image via Shutterstock.

Last year I was a brand. This year I am supposed to offer an experience. "Customer experience" is this year's meme.

My clients will have an experience no matter what I do. So my take on it is that I am supposed to make the experience of working with me even better than it already is, and maybe that will make the homebuying experience better.  more...

I'm paperless, but the world is not

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, January 31, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=87932572" target="_blank">Paperwork</a> image via Shutterstock.

From the day I got my first iPad, my goal has been to have every real estate transaction be paperless, and to be able to write offers from anywhere.

When I started down that path in 2010, it was an enormous amount of work to cobble apps together and test each one to make sure they would work with each other. It's much easier today, but there's plenty of room for improvement.

Now that our MLS is using Instanet forms with Authentisign, I no longer have to convert blank forms into PDF files and send them to DropBox or Evernote so that I can access them from anywhere.  more...

Help your buyers discover the best apps

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, January 24, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=115952896" target="_blank">Tablet presentation</a> image via Shutterstock.

IPads and mobile apps are not just for Realtors, real estate brokerages and real estate teams. They are also very useful for homebuyers. So are the real estate and neighborhood type apps for devices running Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating system.

Buyers use a combination of websites and mobile apps for their home search in conjunction with my services. Which is why my iPad is loaded with apps and shortcuts to websites that I can show home buyers.  more...

The iPad is no longer 'kind of' for business

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, January 17, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=81661258">Business presentation</a> image via Shutterstock.

When I got my first iPad in 2010, I could kind of use it for business. Now I can't run my business without it.

There are more apps, and the hardware has gotten better and faster, making the iPad perfect for mobile professionals with paper-free virtual offices. The line between mobile and desktop is blurring. I predict that within the next couple of years we won't be using the word "mobile" as much.  more...

Low inventory: There's not an app for that

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, January 10, 2013.
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=1857838.jpg" target="_blank">Winter</a> image via Shutterstock.

Technology can solve many problems, and it certainly makes it easier to conduct business in an organized and cost-efficient way. But there are problems -- or maybe I should call them challenges -- that no one has an app for.

Right now there are not enough homes on the market in my area. Buyers who want to work with me are asking for help finding that perfect home, and I am struggling to find a home that might work for them.  more...

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