Facebook
X
Pinterest
Copy Link
Buyers • First-Time Home Buyers •
August 24, 2021
The 6 Steps of Buying a House
Buying a home is a huge accomplishment, not least because it is a process that takes time and care to navigate. If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may feel especially daunted by the process and what it involves. Fear not—knowing what to expect and how to plan is half the battle!
Homeowners •
August 15, 2021
Could Your Home Benefit from New Windows?
When it comes to home improvements, installing new windows may not even be on the bottom of your bucket list. New windows are an investment that are meant to last a long time, and for that reason, homeowners don’t often consider upgrading their windows until it’s absolutely necessary.
Buyers • Neighborhoods •
August 10, 2021
How to Balance Between Choosing a School District and a House
Maybe you’ve found an ideal home in a not-so-ideal school district. Or you’ve found a great school district, but it’s harder to find a home that ticks all the boxes. Choosing between a school district and a house is a tough decision, but there are work-arounds and questions to ask yourself that can help you navigate the process.
Buyers • First-Time Home Buyers • Sellers •
July 25, 2021
How to Get the Most Out of a Home Inspection
When you’re buying or selling a house you want to be sure that you’re getting your money’s worth. You may have a general idea of your home’s value and any necessary repairs, but you won’t know for certain until you hire a certified home inspector who can thoroughly analyze the property. Read on to find out how you can get the most out of a home inspection.
Buyers • Buying Luxury Homes • First-Time Home Buyers •
July 18, 2021
6 Things to Consider When Buying a House with a Pool
Houses with pools have been in higher demand in the past couple of years, perhaps because people are spending more time at home. Owning a pool provides a fun, relaxing way to cool off during hot summer days, as well as a nice gathering place for parties and events. Owning a pool also means that staycations can feel more like vacations, and who doesn’t want that? With this being said, owning a pool comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities.
First-Time Home Sellers • Sellers • Selling Luxury Homes •
July 12, 2021
Why It’s Still a Perfect Time to Sell Your Home
If you’re worried that the best time to sell your house has passed, you can take comfort in knowing that it is still an ideal time to sell your home in Virginia. If you weren’t planning on selling your home, then it may be worth it for you to look into it and consider it. The timing is perfect, and here are a few reasons why.
Blog • First-Time Home Sellers • Sellers •
July 7, 2021
5 Critical Curb Appeal Tips for Sellers
When many homeowners are thinking about selling their home and putting it on the market, they are usually focused on how the interior of the home looks. Setting up the rooms and making sure that the quality of the interior is perfect is an important part of selling a home. One part of home selling that can be forgotten, but is single-handedly one of the most important, is the curb appeal.
Careers • Pre-licensing •
May 10, 2021
20 Questions To Ask A Broker During An Interview
We get it. You want to be sure that you make the right choice and there are a lot of options out there for you to investigate. We’ve come up with a list of questions that you should go over when you are visiting the various firms to see which one meets your needs. Just make sure that before you make any final decisions, you meet with a member of our leadership team.
1. Do you have a current company policy that I might review?
2. What was your gross volume as a company last year?
3. Do you have full-time support staff? Does it include transaction support, marketing support, and technology support?
4. Can you show me a third-party report showing your market share over the past year?
5. Can you explain your company’s culture and show me your mission statement?
6. What is your policy on outgoing referrals?
7. Do you have a mentoring program? Is it in writing and may I see a copy?
8. What type of training program do you have? Is there a cost? What is the background of the instructors? Where can I find a copy of the annual schedule?
9. What are your office goals for the upcoming year and what is your plan to achieve them?
10. Do you have a Commercial and Property Management Department? How does it work when I have a referral for them?
11. Do you have a lead generation system? May I see a copy of the policy and program guidelines? What do I need to qualify for the leads?
12. What fees do you charge agents for company services? E&O Insurance, Desk fees, office supplies, training, technology fees, etc…
13. Can you show me a copy of your company marketing plan and resources for me as an agent?
14. Do you have a written policy on how teams work and do you have forms and agreements to help me join or create a team?
15. What is your policy on part-time agents?
16. Do you offer a paperless transaction solution? What technology are you offering to facilitate that?
17. Do you provide a mobile app that I can give my clients that has full MLS data and generates leads for me?
18. How do you conduct your office meetings and how often are they?
19. Do you have a Relocation Department that handles corporate relocation, as well as military and government clients?
20. How do you help me keep up to date with what’s going on in the industry? Is there an online resource for training, materials, and resources?
For more information, please feel free to reach out to our professional development staff. You can also email us at careers@coldwellbankerelite.com.
Blog • Careers • Pre-licensing •
May 10, 2021
7 Steps to Getting Your Real Estate License
Real Estate is a fantastic career and has many benefits, but getting your license is a bit of a process. The following steps are necessary to get your career up and running!
-
Pre-Licensing Education
The first step is to get licensed. The Virginia Real Estate Board requires 60 hours of pre-licensing education, called Principles and Practices of Real Estate. The 60-hour program is designed to prepare you to pass your licensing test. Coldwell Banker Elite offers pre-licensing classes on a monthly basis at our various offices.
-
Licensing Exam
Once you’ve completed the licensing class, the next step is to take the state and national exams. The tests are given by a company called PSI and are administered at various locations. There are 80 questions on the National Exam and 40 questions on the Virginia exam. More information can be reviewed in this BOOKLET from PSI. When you take your final exam, you will be fingerprinted for the background check that accompanies getting your license.
-
Choosing a Brokerage
You’re encouraged to research and interview with brokers before passing the real estate exam. Once you have passed the exam, you’re given one year to “activate” your license. In order to do so, you need to affiliate with a Brokerage. Coldwell Banker Elite offers the best training, resources, tools, and leadership in the industry. Feel free to talk to us at any point in the process to see why we’re the best fit for some of the most successful in the business.
-
The REALTOR® Association
Once you’re licensed and have found your brokerage, you’ll have a few more things to do to get connected. First, you’ll need to join the REALTOR® Association. When you get licensed, you’re licensed as a real estate salesperson. To become a REALTOR®, you need to join the Association. The REALTOR® Association is a trade association that provides support and services to real estate agents, as well as a Code of Ethics and legislative support. All salespersons who affiliate with a real estate firm that is a member of the REALTOR® association must also join the Association within 30 days of affiliation. The Association has its own fee schedule which is prorated throughout the year. The REALTOR® Association also controls the lockbox system, which all agents need to obtain in order to access listing keys.
-
The Multiple Listing Service
Upon becoming a REALTOR®, you’ll also need to join the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) to get access to consumer listing and tax information. The MLS has its own fee structure and joining fees, which your local Association and brokerage will be able to tell you all about.
-
Post-Licensing Education
Each new licensee must complete continuing education on a two-year cycle with required education in between re-licensing cycles. The first year will require the agent to take 30 hours of Post Licensing Education, which Coldwell Banker Elite provides to all of our agents. You then get a year off from required training and then you’ll need to get 16 hours of Continuing Education before the end of that two-year cycle and each subsequent two-year cycle.
-
Finding a Mentor
Now that you’ve put together all the steps, you’re ready to go and take on the world! Using Coldwell Banker Elite’s advanced lead generation system, mentoring system, coaching systems, and countless tools you’ll have the best chance of success that the industry can offer. Agents who partner with Coldwell Banker Elite are given the option of working with our leadership and a mentor to learn the various skill sets that agents need to master to find success.
For more information, please feel free to reach out to any of our managing brokers or you can email us at careers@coldwellbankerelite.com.
Agent Education • Blog • Careers •
April 8, 2021
Are handwritten notes still a relevant way to stay in touch?
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.1″ background_color=”#ffffff” z_index_tablet=”500″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https://coldwellbankerelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Handwritten-notes-Blog-covers.jpg” title_text=”Handwritten notes Blog covers” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.8.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.0″ min_height=”291px” custom_padding=”||78px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” sticky_enabled=”0″]
If you are like many other real estate agents, you are always looking the next best way to market your business and stay in touch with your clients. Everyone wants the perfect new tool that is going to miraculously get them a bunch of new clients. We quickly find out that most of these tools don’t live up to their promises. I am a firm believer in the fact that you should focus your efforts on the people you already know. The main reason why is that these people most likely already trust you. Handwritten notes are an old-school “tool” that are probably the most effective way to stay in touch and stand out from the crowd.
Handwritten notes are still very effective
Handwritten notes aren’t new and flashy which means that they typically tend to be something that is forgotten. Let me ask you one simple question, how many times have you received a handwritten note from someone that you didn’t open? I’m guessing your answer is the same as mine and it was zero! Handwritten notes basically have a 100% open rate! I haven’t found any other type of marketing online or offline that provides that level of effectiveness. Renowned real estate coach Brian Buffini once said, “There isn’t only one key to success; but nothing in my business has taken less time, cost less money and produced bigger results than a personal note.”
How to start sending notes
Don’t get me wrong, just like anything else that actually works in growing your business, it is going to take some effort on your part. Handwritten notes take motivation, time, and organization to accomplish. All you need to do is block off 30 minutes at most each weekday and write two notes to people in your sphere of influence. Hint, you should use a calendar app like Google Calendar or Fantasical to help you time-block. Think about the results of 30 to 40 notes going out to your clients and future clients every single month. I guarantee that you will reconnect with past clients and have top of the mind awareness when people in your sphere are ready to sell or buy their next home!
The Felt app making notes a little more modern.
I recently ran across a really awesome app, called Felt, handwritten cards for the modern world. Since I am such a tech nerd, it really got me pumped about the possibilities! You basically upload your contacts into their database (hopefully including birthdays and anniversaries for reminders) and then you can actually handwrite your cards via an iPad or your phone and they will print, stamp (with an actual stamp) and mail it out for you. It will even save your handwritten return address for you and your contacts so you don’t have to rewrite in the future. You can even upload photos to be printed with the card. The idea I have for you to use with this app is to find a photo you have with the person you are sending. Then talk about when the photo was taken in the handwritten portion of the card. I mailed one of these cards to myself to test it and it looked just like it was handwritten. Really excellent quality! Check out some examples below from site:
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://coldwellbankerelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-08-at-11.53.56-AM-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Screen Shot 2021-04-08 at 11.53.56 AM” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.8.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https://coldwellbankerelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-08-at-11.55.10-AM-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Screen Shot 2021-04-08 at 11.55.10 AM” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.8.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
In conclusion, I feel that handwritten notes are still a very effective way to stay in touch in with your clients. If you start to implement this into your business you are sure to make better and stronger connections with your sphere of influence. This will slowly start to create business opportunities for you. Give the Felt app a try to make it a little more convenient and digital. Let me know in the comments if you have any tips or tricks on ways to implement handwritten notes into your business.
3. Video bio
I know, I know, most of you already want to skip over this section. You have heard it repeatedly, but a video bio is a must in 2020. Video doesn’t have to be perfect anymore. You don’t have the excuse of not having the right equipment, because most of us have an awesome video camera in our pocket. Today’s cell phones all have excellent cameras built-in. You are ready to shoot your bio video when you pair your cell phone with a tri-pod and an inexpensive lapel mic like this one from Purple Panda (audio is extremely important!).
People can really connect to a video versus reading your bio because they get to see and hear you. You immediately become more relatable! The biggest thing is to just practice over and over again, and you will get better. Don’t worry about making a mistake because you can always delete any mistakes you make! I look forward to seeing your first video soon!
4. Blog with hyper-local content
As a real estate agent, you are the local expert. A blog is one of the easiest ways to convey that you are an expert. There are millions of blogs out there and it can be tough to compete with the ones that are already established. This is why I recommend keeping your your blog hyper-local to the areas that you serve. I know here in Fredericksburg, VA that there are very few agents that are talking about their community.
So, you agree you should have a blog, but you have no idea what to write about. You are not alone, and this is probably the reason why most people never start a blog. I want you to think about things you already enjoy doing and how you can make them relate to real estate or your local community. My most successful blog was called “Why I Love Fredericksburg” and I just wrote about some things my family and I love to do and included some photos. Some other ideas might be to interview local businesses, review recent events or restaurants you have been to, Top 5 lists and so on. People love reading about where they live and the more they read from you, the quicker you will look like the local expert!
5. Responsive design
In 2020, just about every single person looking to buy or sell a home has a cell phone and we want to make sure they can view your website clearly on the go. Responsive design means that your website adjusts to different screen sizes between your laptop, tablet, and phone automatically. Most modern site builders like Square Space or WordPress will automatically apply responsive design. Whenever you make changes to your site you will want to open up a browser on your phone to make sure that everything is clear on a smaller screen.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https://coldwellbankerelite.com/contact-coldwell-banker-elite/” button_text=”Have a Question?” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.6.1″ background_layout=”dark” z_index_tablet=”500″ button_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” button_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” button_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”][/et_pb_button][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.6.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/et_pb_divider][et_pb_team_member name=”Jay Parrish” position=”Digital Marketing Manager” image_url=”https://coldwellbankerelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Jay-Parrish1.png” db_email_addr=”jparrish@cbeva.com” _builder_version=”4.6.1″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii_image=”on|20px|20px|20px|20px” global_module=”49136″ saved_tabs=”all”]
[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.6.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/et_pb_divider][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.8.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_color=”#012169″ button_bg_enable_color=”on”][/et_pb_comments][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.1″ _module_preset=”default”]
Recent Posts:
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” include_categories=”67,84,105″ show_more=”on” show_author=”off” show_categories=”off” show_pagination=”off” module_class=”ds-thumbnail-blog” _builder_version=”4.4.8″ body_font_size=”12″ body_line_height=”1.6em” meta_line_height=”2.8em” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” pagination_font_size_tablet=”51″ pagination_line_height_tablet=”2″ border_width_all=”0px” border_radii_image=”off|38px|38px||” border_width_bottom_image=”3px” border_color_bottom_image=”#012169″ box_shadow_style_image=”preset3″ use_border_color=”off”]
[/et_pb_blog][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”on” taxonomy_name=”agent education” _builder_version=”4.6.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/et_pb_post_nav][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_button button_url=”mailto:careers@coldwellbankerelite.com” button_text=”Talk to one of our local managers” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.6.1″ background_layout=”dark” z_index_tablet=”500″ button_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” button_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” button_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
