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Don't follow me on Twitter

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, November 19, 2009.

Following me on Twitter is a waste of time. I don't use Twitter the way experts recommend, and some days I am just too chatty. The best practice for using Twitter, according to most, is sharing information and having a "tribe." Many people want to have a lot of followers, but for me that isn't a goal.

There are those on Twitter who tweet links that lead to articles that I almost always read. The way I use Twitter is just wrong. It works for me but it probably won't work for you (unless you want to be just like me, which again is just wrong). more...

A beef with Realtor association blogs

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, November 12, 2009.

Over the years Realtor associations have expressed interest in starting blogs, and some have followed through. I have been watching the association blogs. It is hard to get them off the ground and to keep them going.

Some associations rely on agent volunteers to write, and others rely on staff or some combination of the two.

I went searching on the Internet looking for blogs written by associations and found several. Most don't appear to get much traffic or have a clearly defined audience. more...

Putting fair-housing law into practice

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, November 5, 2009.

Last month, Inman News columnist Bernice Ross wrote an excellent column about fair-housing issues. What she wrote were some blatant examples of fair-housing violations. Such violations can still be found in marketing, and there can be subtle violations, too, as following the letter of the law is complicated.

"Family" is one of those words that pose complications for real estate professionals. I try to dot every "i" and cross every "t" when it comes to fair housing and I believe in fair housing, yet the rules that real estate professionals must follow to be fair are confusing. more...

In real estate agents we trust?

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, October 29, 2009.

It is hard to imagine or to understand, but not everyone trusts real estate agents or Realtors. According to a Harris poll, 20 percent don't trust us at all and only 7 percent trust us completely.

As an industry we shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to being trustworthy. One example is the press releases and other information from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAR is a huge trade association that promotes our industry. As such, NAR tends to put a positive spin on buying real estate.

In the land of NAR, it is always "a great time to buy" real estate. more...

Branding: just another buzzword

By Teresa Boardman, Wednesday, October 21, 2009.

McDonald's is a great example of a brand. The company has a logo that most 2-year-olds can easily identify and I can't imagine that there is anyone in the country who doesn't know what a McDonald's restaurant is.

Most people don't need to "trust" the brand to buy a burger; it is just a burger, not a major purchase that will have an impact that lasts longer than a couple of hours.

When it comes to services, like the services that a real estate agent offers, I refuse to believe ... more...

Facebook 'friends' vs. the real thing

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, October 15, 2009.

Online social networks are not just for Realtors and they are not just for business. It is hard to imagine that I would make such a claim considering they were not invented for marketing or for real estate in the first place, and that everyone seems to use them.

There is a personal side to social networks, and as time goes on it seems to be getting lost in the shuffle. Things have changed and I find myself doing some digital fall cleaning to get myself back on track. more...

Make room for real estate veterans

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, October 8, 2009.

As if the housing market, unemployment rate and the economy in general are not scary enough -- there are people in our industry who are scaring Realtors instead of helping them.

Last summer at the National Association of Realtors headquarters a group of us were told that the average Realtor is 52 and female -- the average age had dropped from 54 in a previous report.

NAR has created the Young Professionals Network as a resource for younger real estate professionals ... more...

The unintended consequences of blogging

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, October 1, 2009.

A couple of years ago I was at a social event with a bunch of local bloggers -- most are in the real estate industry. I overheard a conversation that was going on behind me less than a foot away. They were talking about this woman who is relentless, ruthless and unstoppable; they said she is a machine.

When I turned around to listen, they all started laughing. They were talking about me and my blog. That was a little more than two years ago and nothing has changed. There is a post on my blog everyday. These days I get some help from a neighbor who likes to write and from a past client who works in the real estate industry. They write a post a week and I write the other five.

They used the word "ruthless" because they are what I call friendly competitors. more...

Social media telemarketing

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, September 24, 2009.

I still have a land line. It wasn't all that long ago that I had two phone lines at home: one for personal use and the other was a business line that went into my office, with an extension to my workroom in the basement.

These days my cell phone serves as my business line and my personal line, too. I get calls on the land line but I rarely answer it, as most are from corporations that I don't want to talk to or charities asking for money.

It is time to get rid of that last land line. At first it was a useful tool. We could call people from it and they would call us. more...

A real estate who's who

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, September 17, 2009.

How does this happen? I try to reach out to a social media expert only to find that there is no way to reach him. He has a Web site but it doesn't have his contact information on it, and I can't find an e-mail address and there doesn't seem to be one of those contact forms.

To make matters worse, his name on Twitter is different than his real name and I never remember what the Twitter name is because it isn't a real word and it doesn't make sense. I don't know him well enough to somehow connect the screen name to his actual name. more...

The buyer agent's 'incentive'

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, September 10, 2009.

For Realtors, broker reciprocity just has to be the best thing since sliced bread. As a listing agent I know that other agents are looking at my listing and they will be paid if they find buyers for them.

When I am acting as a buyer's agent I know I have access to an inventory of homes that I can show my buyers and I will get paid for my work if they decide to purchase and if the sale closes.

As for other agents finding buyers for my listing, will they seek out buyers for it? Should they? more...

An open letter to new agents

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, September 3, 2009.

I don't have any numbers but historically, when unemployment has risen more people start their own businesses, and some go into real estate sales. It doesn't cost much to get started and requires very little education.

Lately, I have run into a few people who have just joined us and have received some calls from others who would like to become Realtors.

We all have to start someplace and I was once a new agent. In fact, to some I still am, even though I have been in the business for less than a decade. It takes some experience to do a good job representing clients. When you don't let me know that you are new, I can't help you. more...

Riding the real estate roller-coaster

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, August 27, 2009.

Just when I thought the worst was over ... things got worse. Our local market started to tank in late 2006. I have worked through waves of foreclosures and short sales and survived.

Business has picked up; I have more listings; and those listings are getting offers. Sadly, I don't have as many closings as I would like.

It looks like the worst isn't really over, it just changed a little. more...

Happy agents and happy hours

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, August 20, 2009.

Several of my friends and business contacts own small real estate brokerages. One thing I keep hearing from them that is that they are looking for ideas on how to keep their agents engaged with the company.

In most cases they are talking about social activities or office projects. I keep thinking that they are working with or looking for the wrong agents and that a brokerage can and should be successful without having social events or events beyond selling real estate that require agent participation. more...

The numbers game in real estate values

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, August 13, 2009.

Recently, one of my listings did not appraise.

Actually, it never even got an appraisal because the lender decided that it wasn't worth the expense after viewing the results of a computer-generated report. It was a questionable business practice on the lender's part and one that I hope I never see again.

The computer-generated valuation used properties that are two miles from the subject property, and most were foreclosures. more...

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