When working to convert your real estate leads into clients, it is important to show appreciation for your leads – nothing will endear you to a homeowner faster. Even if you have been unable to make contact with a particular lead, you should intersperse your normal follow-up with an occasional thank you card or gift just to let your real estate leads know you appreciate their time and consideration.

Too many agents are more worried about getting a check than ensuring their clients’ satisfaction. It doesn’t take much time or money to show that you see more than dollar signs when you meet with your real estate leads. By spending only $200 or less per month, you can show your gratitude in a way homeowners can appreciate.

Use some of these 5 great ideas to show appreciation for your real estate leads (after all – they ARE the ones who will wind up paying your salary!):

1. Free goodies – you probably print up thousands of calendars, magnets, pens, or bottle openers a year with your name and logo on them. Are you just giving them to current clients? I surely hope not. You’ve already got their business and by all means, you should DEFINITELY be showing them appreciation, but the little trinkets with your contact information need to be going out to your real estate leads. Everybody can use a magnet, so don’t be shy about sending free things to ALL your potential customers – better yet, you’ve got a car, use it – rather then spend money on postage, deliver little gift bags to your real estate leads personally.

2. Gift cards – everybody loves a nice gift card, all the more so when it’s a totally unexpected surprise. You can spend $100-200 a month to get gift cards in increments of $5 and send them to 20-40 of your real estate leads that seem to have the most potential. It doesn’t have to be a gift card to anywhere fancy – Blockbuster, Home Depot, a super market, even to an area restaurant – show your real estate leads that you appreciate them even if they HAVEN’T decided to list with you yet – their time is precious and they didn’t HAVE to spend it with you, but they did anyway.

3. Tickets to an event – if you know some of your real estate leads really like baseball, or love the theater, you may want to splurge a bit on a pair of tickets. Find a great local show and buy a few tickets or get tickets to the games of your local baseball team (doesn’t have to be the major leagues) and personally drop them off at your lead’s house. Make sure the tickets are far enough in advance so the lead can schedule around the event. If you feel fairly confident with the lead, make it a condition that you’ll take them to the event! A few hours with the lead and you’ll likely come out of it with a friend and a new client!

4. Stuff for the kids – if you know your real estate leads have kids, use it to your advantage. Put a little gift bag together for the kiddies – nothing too crazy though! Try to stay away from things parents may not want to give their kids, like sweets and candy. Keep it simple – perhaps a children’s book, or a simple toy like a ball or a yo-yo. Again, not something that will break your bank, but just something to show you’re thinking not just of the lead, but their family as well. If they don’t have kids, but do have pets, you may want to look into buying something for Fido – some people treat their pets the same as they would their children!

5. Be crafty – if you’ve got a creative streak, don’t be afraid to throw something together (or go online to get gift ideas). For example, one agent I knew made something she referred as Dishtowel Angels. It basically involved a dishtowel and matching pot holder put together with ribbon and wire to resemble an angel. Something like that, or a gift basket with useful tools, or even a nice flower for planting in the front yard can really warm someone up to you. Using something you put together yourself gives it that extra little touch that shows your real estate leads you care.

Those are just five quick and easy things you can do to show your appreciation and hopefully convince your real estate leads that no other agent can give them the kind of attention you can. Take these ideas and run with them, come up with your own gift ideas – especially once you’ve gotten to know your leads a bit better. Even if you’ve never talked to them before, but you’ve driven by their home and noticed them playing with their dog, or gardening out front – use what you know to come up with the perfect way of thanking your real estate leads. It puts you one step closer to turning them into clients!

Ashley Lichty

http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/real-estate-leads-101-5-ways-to-show-your-appreciation-137331.html

Technorati Tags: real estate leads

IRA investing in real estate is becoming increasingly popular.  There is no way to cover all of the ins and outs of IRA real estate investing in a single article of this length, but I can at least give you some of the highlights.

If you’ve heard or read the success stories, you may be “chomping at the bit”, but IRA investing in real estate is not without risks.  So, you need to get some education first.

Experienced investors have programs that can help.  Of course, advice like that is not free, but if it helps you find good deals and avoid the common mistakes, then it is well worth the cost.

In order to begin IRA real estate investing, you need a self directed account and an account custodian.  You should choose someone reliable, with years of experience.  They can’t suggest specific deals or anything like that, but they can provide you with some of the education that you need.

For example, the better custodians provide education about prohibited transactions, prohibited investment types and the rules about self-dealing.  If you make a mistake, your account could lose its tax free status.

Once you have selected an account custodian, you need to decide how to fund the account.  If you currently have a traditional account, you should be able to “roll it over”, without penalty, although the bank or brokerage that you are currently using may charge a fee.

This is the best time to consider IRA investing in real estate, because you may have a large amount of un-invested cash.  If you can find a few good deals, you can make big profits quickly.  Or, if you want a consistent flow of income into the account, you may want to consider a rental property.

There are many options to choose from when it comes to IRA real estate investing.  You can buy houses, apartment buildings, raw land, mobile homes, and office buildings or simply finance other people’s homes.  But, there are some things that you must avoid.

You cannot sell your own home to your account.  You cannot use the account to buy property that you plan to live in at some point in the future.  Your sons and daughters cannot rent apartments in buildings that owned by the account.  Your parents could not have an office in a building held within the account.

The list of prohibited transactions is relative long, but not complicated, once you think about it.  IRA investing in real estate or any other vehicle is designed to benefit your future, not your present day wealth.  So, if you benefit from an investment, either directly or indirectly, your account could lose its tax free status.

One of the primary reasons that experienced investors suggest IRA real estate investing is because of the tax advantages.  If you sell a property for a profit, there are no capital gains taxes.  If the account makes rental income from a property that was purchased with cash from the account, there is no income tax.

So, experienced investors sometimes save as much as 25% by using their retirement accounts.  That’s only a few of the advantages of IRA investing in real estate.  It’s probably just enough to make you curious.

W. Conley

http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/key-points-to-ira-real-estate-investing-507592.html

Technorati Tags: IRA real estate investing

We all know the story about The Great Race between the Turtle and the Hare. The Hare is a shoe-in as the winner before the race even starts yet the Turtle agrees to a seemingly unfair match. What kind of race are you in? Hares are like flips. You let your guard down, take a little rest and the next thing you know, the race is still on and you’re left eating Turtle dust. Turtles are like long term holds. The Turtle just plods along: slow and steady; uneventful; boring, even. This makes Real Estate the perfect Turtle win. It is my belief that only long term real estate investments are the perfect vehicle for creating passive income and true financial freedom. Remember: the Turtle always wins.

So why is it that few people employ Turtle methodology? It comes down to mapping out your plan and sticking to your plan no matter what. Hares come and go. They’re off chasing the next deal. There is an element of speculation and high risk when you’re playing their game and the pay-off can be very lucrative. It can be very tempting to wander off the path towards that vacation property in Costa Rica or Panama; the pre-sale development that’s sure to double in price before it’s finished. The downside to this strategy is the lump sum cash and capital gains. Plus there’s no ongoing passive income. Once the deal is done, Hares are off looking for the next race because eventually their cash runs out.

Excitement of this nature is seductive. It’s like gambling. You’re going from one high to the next and eventually it’ll crash. It’s called the real estate cycle and is generally between 7 to 10 years long. Real estate is a race that requires patience. And like all races, there is a strategy you need to formulate before you begin.

There are seven profit centers of real estate that allow you to use leverage to multiply your return. Consider these strategies to leverage your money:

? Buy Equity Day One
o (always buy under appraised value so that when you take possession of your investment you have an instant gain on your net worth statement)
? Leverage – Front End
o (use other people’s money for the down payment and closing costs to leverage your return on investment)
? Appreciation
o (properties generally go up in value an average of 3% per year and this increase is reflected in your net worth statement at market value)
? Principle Reduction
o (tenants are paying your mortgage and this equates to approximately 3% to 5% per year and this decrease is reflected in the liability section of your net worth statement)
? Positive Cash Flow
o (this is the continuous flow of money over and above expenses and debt service that is deposited into your account every month just like a pay cheque)
? Tax Benefits
o (you can defer paying taxes through depreciation on building and chattels but the only drawback to this strategy is recapture of these monies upon the sale of the property, if you ever plan to sell)
? Leverage – Back End
o (invest the equity in your property into other investments and make your interest payments tax deductible)

Although physically inferior to Hare in the speed category, Turtle’s mental game kept him in the race. Use these passive income strategies to set yourself up for long term success. See you at the finish line.

July Ono

http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/real-estate-buy-it-and-keep-it-what-race-are-you-running-678528.html

Technorati Tags: real estate

Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.

Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America

MLS #2092931 Located in Bloomington, Illinois

Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Cedar Ridge, Year Built: 2008, Age: 1 year(s) old, New Home, 4 total bedroom(s), 3.5 total bath(s), 3 total full bath(s), 1 total half bath(s), 8 total rooms, Approximately 2409 sq. ft., Style: Traditional, Master bedroom, Living room, Family room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 17×16, Living room is 15×13, Family room is 13×13, Kitchen is 18×12, Heating features: Gas, Central air conditioning, Elementary School: Brigham, Jr. High School: Chiddix, High School: Normal Community

Single Family Property
$225,900
2409 s.f.

Duration : 0:1:31

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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real

Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.

Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America

MLS #2093825 Located in Bloomington, Illinois

Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Lakewood, Year Built: 1978, Age: 31 year(s) old, 5 total bedroom(s), 1.5 total bath(s), 1 total full bath(s), 1 total half bath(s), 9 total rooms, Approximately 2130 sq. ft., Style: Bi-level, Master bedroom, Family room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 15×10, Family room is 15×15, Kitchen is 16×11, Heating features: Gas, Central air conditioning, Approximate lot is 5499, Elementary School: Adlai Stevenson, Jr. High School: Bloomington Jr. High, High School: Bloomington High

Single Family Property
$99,900
2130 s.f.

Duration : 0:0:31

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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real

Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.

Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America

MLS #2100518 Located in Bloomington, Illinois

Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Pepper Ridge, Year Built: 1992, Age: 18 year(s) old, 3 total bedroom(s), 2 total bath(s), 2 total full bath(s), 6 total rooms, Approximately 1276 sq. ft., Style: Tri-lvl, Master bedroom, Family room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 13×11, Family room is 15×11, Kitchen is 16×11, Swimming pool(s), Heating features: Gas, Central air conditioning, Approximate lot is 9180, Elementary School: Pepper Ridge, Jr. High School: Parkside, High School: Normal Community West

Single Family Property
$149,900
1276 s.f.

Duration : 0:1:41

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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real