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By Bernice Ross, Friday, May 9, 2008.

(This is Part 3 of a three-part series. Read Part 1, "Specialization's the name of the game," and Part 2, "Attract attention, attract business." )  more...

Attract attention, attract business

By Bernice Ross, Friday, May 2, 2008.

(This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Read Part 1, "Specialization's the name of the game.")

Does your Web site have the "wow" factor? If not, here's how to get it.  more...

Specialization's the name of the game

By Bernice Ross, Friday, April 25, 2008.

(This is Part 1 of a three-part series.)

Is your Web site generating the leads you want or is it a money pit that produces no results? If you want to turn your Web site into a moneymaking machine, today's column will show you how.

Michael Russer, aka "Mr. Internet," has been an expert on how to use the Web to market your real estate services since the mid-1990s. He has been a leading advocate of working with virtual assistants and has shown thousands of agents how to build successful online businesses.  more...

If Trump and Buffett can do it, so can you

By Bernice Ross, Friday, April 18, 2008.

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Push home buyers off the fence now.")

If you're struggling with reluctant buyers, you can get your buyers to buy now!

Last week's article looked at four strategies for motivating buyers to buy now. Here are four additional strategies to help you persuade a reluctant buyer that today is the best time ever to purchase.

1. The smart investor conversation  more...

Push home buyers off the fence now

By Bernice Ross, Friday, April 11, 2008.

Many agents are lamenting about how bad the market is. Most people who were in business in 1998 will remember that it was a pretty good year. The National Association of Realtors is projecting that in 2008 there will be more than 5 million home sales or 10 million transaction "sides," the same number as in 1998. Assuming that there are approximately 1 million active Realtors today, that's 10 sides per agent.

The question is how can you capitalize on today's market conditions to increase your income in 2008?  more...

Making you angry, not my plan

By Bernice Ross, Friday, April 4, 2008.

(This is Part 3 of a three-part series. Read Part 1, "Top questions to ask sellers at listing appointment"; and Part 2, "Buyers, you'll be wealthier if you quit renting.")

Are you having a tough time closing your buyers and sellers? If so, then knowing the correct questions to ask is one of the easiest ways to increase your sales.

In our last two columns, we looked at some of the key questions that will help you be more effective with buyers and sellers. Today's column looks at key negotiation questions that can help you defend less and close more.

   more...

Buyers, you'll be wealthier if you quit renting

By Bernice Ross, Friday, March 28, 2008.

(This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Read Part 1, "Top questions to ask sellers at listing appointment.")

Are buyers really liars? Not usually -- the challenge is you just haven't asked them the right questions.

One of the biggest obstacles in converting leads into signed business is the agent's inability to stay in question mode rather than tell mode.  more...

Top questions to ask sellers at listing appointment

By Bernice Ross, Friday, March 21, 2008.

(This is Part 1 of a three-part series.)

Are you talking too much and closing too little? A simple shift in your strategy can yield huge returns for years to come.  more...

If you're not on LinkedIn, you're missing out

By Bernice Ross, Friday, March 7, 2008.

Generating referrals is a key part of the real estate business. Are you ready to take this old standby and update it for 2008?

When most agents start the business, they normally make a list of the people they know who may send referrals to them. There are several reasons that this approach typically generates only one or two transactions:

  • Friends and family know that the agent is new to the business.

  • The agent may lack an adequate knowledge of the inventory or the ability to close buyers and sellers effectively.  more...

Stop texting and start Jotting

By Bernice Ross, Friday, February 29, 2008.

Have you ever watched someone text message while they're driving? A new service called Jott may soon make simple texting obsolete.

For many boomers, texting has always been a bit of a challenge. Many of us get the concept, but seeing or pushing the keys without our glasses is difficult.  more...

Single-property Web sites catch sellers' attention

By Bernice Ross, Friday, February 22, 2008.

If you're not using what is known as a "single-property Web site," you're missing one of the best tools to increase your Web traffic and convert more listing leads into signed business.  more...

Marketing tips Realtors can't afford to ignore

By Bernice Ross, Friday, February 15, 2008.

Real estate professionals spend millions of dollars in print and Web marketing. Are you spending your money wisely or are you wasting it needlessly?  more...

Agents: Stop dripping and start predicting

By Bernice Ross, Friday, February 8, 2008.

Are you ready to jump-start your business? Upgrading your technology is one of the fastest ways to do it. If you need some help, here are some important innovations to consider.

1. Stop dripping and start predicting  more...

How to tell if a listing is overpriced

By Bernice Ross, Friday, February 1, 2008.

Persuading sellers to be realistic is a consistent challenge for any real estate agent, especially in a slowing or a declining market. Recent technological innovations make this much easier than ever before.

In previous columns, I have discussed how to use rate-of-absorption numbers to help sellers be more realistic about the probability of selling their home. For example, if there are eight months of inventory on the market, the probability that a seller will sell in any given month is 12.5 percent.  more...

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