October 15, 2011
A picture is worth a thousand words, according to Fred R. Barnard. This adage couldn’t be more true in today’s real estate market, with the Internet and print advertising competing and the Internet winning. With the majority of home buyers and sellers heading to the Internet before even contacting a broker, having winning photos to post online are a must.
When taking photos of a seller client’s home, be sure to take the pictures in the best possible light, using the best available equipment. When taking interior photos, be sure that the rooms are clear of clutter and too many objects, as this will make the room appear larger to the eye. Try to use as much natural light as possible, supplemented by artificial light when the need arises.
Take multiple shots of each room, using different angles and vantage points, to highlight the size or depth of a room, as well as the features you want highlighted and most noticed by the consumers. When possible, use a tripod or other stabilizer to keep your camera from ruining a perfectly good shot. Another good tip is to keep small pets and their accessories put away so as not to distract from the room or view.
Just like when staging a home for an open house or virtual tour, staging for photos is key to presenting the best possible home for potential buyers. The same goes for both inside and outside the property. Make sure your home has curb appeal; keep those weeds and grass cut down, keep your garden tools put away and your garbage cans out of sight. The same suggestions apply when photographing a commercial property…put that best foot forward for all of your print and Internet media. Seasonal photos are okay, as long as they aren’t overrun with holiday decor or obscured by piled up leaves or snow.
Lastly, after all the photo taking and sorting through, take a step back. Have a third party look at the photos and give you an honest opinion about how they look. It’s better to take too many photos than not enough, that way you have plenty to go through. Having plenty of photos is also a great opportunity to further increase your visibility by creating a virtual “tour” video of the photos you took. Proper placement with some pleasing music, and you have a great marketing tool to bring in those potential buyers and brokers.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. For all your home staging needs, check out http://www.lynnobrienstagedhomes.com
Lynn O’Brien
Lynn O’Brien Staged Homes
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_M_O’Brien
Technorati Tags: curb appeal, estate business, home buyers, home sellers, real estate, real estate business, winning photos
August 29, 2011
To overcome an objection is one of the most important aspects of sales. You can overcome an objection in a few different ways, but regardless of what method you use to overcome an objection, a structure will increase your success rate. Let’s go over a step-by-step structure of overcoming an objection.
Step 1 – Acknowledge and Empathize
The first step is to acknowledge and empathize with the objection. Keep in mind that this involves telling the customer that their objection is not that important. Obviously, telling anyone that his or her thoughts are not important is not the best way to strengthen a relationship. Because of this, the acknowledging and empathizing with the customer is extremely important. A great way of empathizing with the customer is to tell a personal quick 1 to 3 sentence story on when you felt the same way. For example, “I completely understand that you feel [objection]. I felt the same way when I [tell quick story].” This will help you avoid weakening the relationship.
Note: The “Feel, felt, found” method of overcoming an objection is a quick learning tool. It is effective because it gives people an easy to remember structure. However, in my opinion, it is an incomplete way to overcome an objection. It is, however, a great tool to help you remember to acknowledge and empathize (feel = acknowledge, felt = empathize, found = offer more information).
Step 2 – Offer more information
I’ve heard many sales trainers say that an objection is an opportunity or a request for more information. I agree. When a customer presents an objection, providing facts and more information on the topic is a great way to prove you are an expert and a great lead in to overcome an objection. Use facts gain the upper hand in an argument. For example, let’s say a customer says that the cost of using premium gasoline is too high. You could tell the customer, “Did you know that using premium gas can increase your mileage per gallon by 5%? So if premium gas is only 4% more expensive, you are actually saving money.” You could also say, “Did you know that using Premium gas can make car engines last 25% longer? Is the money saved on cheaper fuel worth the risk of incurring expensive damage to you engine?” I don’t know if these facts are true, but if they were, wouldn’t you start using premium fuel?
Step 3 – Present your rebuttal
Presenting your rebuttal is the step in overcoming an objection where you explain why the benefits outweigh the objection, present your solution, or present your argument. This is where you will actually overcome an objection.
Step 4 – Reinforce pros and minimize the cons
The purpose of this step is to reinforce your position. Once you presented your rebuttal, you can make your position stronger by reminding the customer of some of the key benefits of buying. This is also an opportunity to play down the objection. For example, “with a 5% increase in miles per gallon, a few cents more per gallon is not that big of a deal.”
Step 5 – check for agreement
The last step is to check for agreement. This is the part where you will test the customer’s reaction to your rebuttal. A simple, “right?” or, “what do you think?,” is enough. The importance of this step is to read the customers response and body language so you can adapt your sales pitch. This is extremely important because every customer is different, and every customer will react differently to the same rebuttal.
Overcoming an objection is not simple process. Overcoming an objection is a skill that takes practice. Overcoming every objection is impossible, but using these steps, the techniques in How to Overcome an Objection, and with practice, you can increase your success ratio significantly.
The author, Roberto Mejia, can provide additional information. Visit his website at HowtobeaSalesperson.com.
Howtobeasaleperson.com is a website dedicated to offering sales how to, sales techniques, sales best practices, sales advice, and bringing sales people together to share sales ideas and success stories.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roberto_Mejia
Technorati Tags: Oversoming Objection, Real Estate Agent
December 2, 2010
Take a quick tour of a One Bedroom Apt. at 622 N. Main St. Bloomington Illinois 61701
Duration : 0:5:47
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Technorati Tags: 61701, 622, Apt., Bedroom, Bloomington, Illinois, Main, N., One, st
November 30, 2010
Of course, every one wants to be successful in whatever career they may have chosen, and for those who are working in the real estate industry, especially those earning on a commission basis, they would naturally want to have more clients and more deals to close. It is only when they have closed a deal that they earn their commission, so if they do not have any clients and are not successful in closing deals, then that obviously means that they do not have any earnings.
If you are a real estate agent and are just starting out on your career, then here are some tips and advices on how you can become successful in your chosen career.
The most important thing is that you have to create a name for yourself in the industry. It is only when you have built a good reputation that you will get lots of clients. However, if you are just starting out, then you really have to take care of your first client and develop a good working relationship with them because, through word of mouth, your clientele list can grow. In the same vein, it is also through word of mouth that can give you a bad reputation. To avoid this, you really have to have a good professional relationship with your first client.
Another way of getting your name out there is by posting ads in the newspapers as well as the yellow pages. It may be a bit costly, especially since you are just starting out, but this is a very good way of attracting potential clients. You could also have some flyers printed out with your name, contact information, and services written on it and give them away on busy streets.
If you are a bit short on cash and have no means to pay for advertising, then why not go online? There are free web hosting sites out there where you can create your website for free. You can even create an account at one of the free blog sites. Although you will be limited when it comes to designing your website, you have to remember that a simpler and more professional look is way better than flashy websites full of animations and banners. Another thing that you have to consider when it comes to creating a website or a blog is the importance of relevant articles. For this reason, you should make sure that the articles you write are easy to understand, concise, direct to the point, and, more important, relatively free from real estate jargons and lingo to make it easy for your clients to read and understand your articles.
Achieving success may be a bit difficult, but with the proper motivation and correct determination, it could be yours.
Image Credit: marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
Technorati Tags: real estate marketing tips
October 25, 2010
Each year, there are a huge number of homeowners who are selling their homes. Likewise, there are also a huge number of people who are looking for houses for sale that they can buy and call their own. If you belong to the former, you would probably think that you can sell it on your own and would not need a real estate company to help you. However, selling your property may prove to be quite difficult, especially if you do not know the appropriate selling price of your house. For this reason, many sellers avail of the services of real estate companies to help them out. Now, if you are thinking of getting someone to represent you, then here are some quick and simple tips on how you can properly choose a representative.
The easiest place to look for a real estate company is through the yellow pages and the Internet. There are literally hundreds of real estate agents advertising their services, so it really is not that difficult to look for them. What is difficult though is knowing just how reliable and reputable the agent is. For this reason, you can ask for references to check them out. Another way of looking for reliable real estate companies is by asking around. Chances are, your friends or relatives know of a good agent that they could refer to you.
Since the company will be representing you, you should make sure that you feel comfortable working with them. You will be giving them your expectations on the sale, and, in turn, they will also be giving you feedback on the market trends, especially when it comes to property prices. Now, if you do not feel comfortable with the real estate company and the agent that they have assigned to you, there may be misunderstandings on both your sides that could lead to headaches and arguments. For this reason, it is advisable that you interview agents and speak with different companies first before making a choice. Make sure that the agent has exemplary customer service skills, and you should also make sure that he or she has ample training in real estate laws and transactions.
It would also not hurt your cause to ask about their payment method. Most of the agents will be paid on a commission basis and will only receive his or her payment if and when your home is sold. There are many real estate agents who only ask for a 1% commission, so it would be to your advantage to really do some researches before you hire an agent.
Technorati Tags: real estate company
September 12, 2010
Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.
Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America
MLS #2081236 Located in Bloomington, Illinois
Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Bloomington Heights, Year Built: 1913, Age: 96 year(s) old, 2 total bedroom(s), 1 total bath(s), 1 total full bath(s), 6 total rooms, Approximately 1753 sq. ft., Style: Ranch, Master bedroom, Living room, Dining room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 15×10, Living room is 14×15, Dining room is 11×14, Kitchen is 11×14, Garage, Heating features: Gas, Elementary School: Fox Creek Elementary, Jr. High School: Parkside, High School: Normal Community West
Single Family Property
$110,000
1753 s.f.
Duration : 0:1:41
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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real
September 2, 2010
Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.
Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America
MLS #2092848 Located in Bloomington, Illinois
Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Harvest Pointe, Year Built: 2009, Age: 0 year(s) old, New Home, 4 total bedroom(s), 3 total bath(s), 3 total full bath(s), 8 total rooms, Approximately 2434 sq. ft., Style: Traditional, Master bedroom, Dining room, Family room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 15×13, Dining room is 11×10, Family room is 16×14, Kitchen is 22×10, Heating features: Gas, Central air conditioning, Elementary School: Towanda, Jr. High School: Kingsley Junior High, High School: Normal Community
Single Family Property
$263,900
2434 s.f.
Duration : 0:0:56
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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real
August 24, 2010
Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.
Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America
MLS #2101411 Located in Bloomington, Illinois
Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Park Place, Year Built: 1982, Age: 18 year(s) old, 3 total bedroom(s), 2 total bath(s), 2 total full bath(s), 8 total rooms, Approximately 2118 sq. ft., Style: Traditional, Master bedroom, Living room, Dining room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 14×13, Living room is 16×15, Dining room is 15×15, Kitchen is 15×12, Heating features: Gas, Central air conditioning, Elementary School: Oakdale, Jr. High School: Kingsley Junior High, High School: Normal Community West
Single Family Property
$169,900
2118 s.f.
Duration : 0:1:41
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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real
August 13, 2010
Visit http://www.gregzavitz.com for additional information regarding this property.
Greg Zavitz – Coldwell Banker Heart of America
MLS #2101738 Located in Bloomington, Illinois
Single Family Property, Status: Active, Area: Founders Grove, Year Built: 1925, Age: 85 year(s) old, 3 total bedroom(s), 2 total bath(s), 2 total full bath(s), 9 total rooms, Approximately 2444 sq. ft., Style: Traditional, Master bedroom, Living room, Dining room, Kitchen, Basement, Master bedroom is 17×12, Living room is 22×12, Dining room is 14×12, Kitchen is 12×12, Heating features: Gas, Central air conditioning, Approximate lot is 7350, Elementary School: Washington, Jr. High School: Bloomington Jr. High, High School: Bloomington High
Single Family Property
$169,900
2444 s.f.
Duration : 0:1:36
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Technorati Tags: Bloomington, estate, IL, Illinois, MLS, Property, real
July 29, 2010
Take a quick tour of # 4 Studio Apt. 622 N. Main St. Bloomington Illinois 61701
Duration : 0:2:59
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Technorati Tags: 61701, 622, Apt., Bloomington, Illinois, Main, N., st, Studio
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