Agent EducationBlogCareers November 17, 2020

3 Ways to Stay Organized with Todoist

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As a busy real estate agent, you are constantly juggling a bunch of different things at once.  You are dealing with multiple buyers, sellers, and contracts at various stages and just trying to keep everything straight and organized.  It can definitely be overwhelming! You really need to have a to-do list tool that will keep you on track to make sure that you don’t miss any of your daily tasks.  There are tons of different to-do list apps out there including Google Keep, Apple Reminders and many more.  Today we are going to focus on 3 ways to stay organized using Todoist.  One huge benefit about Todoist versus some its competitors is that it is compatible across all of the major platforms (Android, Apple/Mac, and Windows).

1. Keep track of all your tasks by getting them out of your head!

Todoist in its most basic form is a really awesome to-do list that is simple to use. With everything you have going on in a normal day, it is really hard to remember everything that you have to do.  The most important is to get all of your tasks out of your head and into a list.  You will feel so much more relaxed and confident about getting things done once you have them written out in a trusted place. Todoist has been around since 2007 and is used by major corporations like Amazon, Disney, and Facebook. So, you can rest assured that your data is safe. 

It is very easy to add tasks to your list.  All you have to do is click on the plus sign in the top right of the screen on a Chrome browser (or desktop app) or the bottom right on the mobile app.  This will bring up a Quick Add Task window where you can input your task.  You can also schedule a due date and time by tapping where is says Schedule. An awesome feature is that you can also schedule by using natural language, for example “Call back Mr. Jones to discuss the appraisal tomorrow at 9:30am”.  It will automatically detect the day and time and add it to your task.

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2. Categorize all of your tasks by projects

Now that you have moved all of your tasks out of your head and into a list, you may be feeling overwhelmed with the amount of tasks you have to complete!  It is going to help you to sort out all of your tasks into categories. Luckily, Todoist allows you to sort your tasks into what they call “Projects”.  I recommend you create projects like Real Estate and Personal. You could create a separate project for each of your active listings or current contracts.    You get five current projects with the Free version of Todoist (up to 80 if you archive old projects). See the example below of what a project looks like for a current listing. This ensures that you won’t miss any of the small tasks in a transaction.  Quick tip – you can save your listing task list in a document somewhere and then just copy and paste in all of your tasks when you have a new listing. You can even share your projects with your clients so that they can see everything that goes into selling their home or even have them check off the things they need to do.

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3. Visualize your projects with board view

Board view is a newer feature from Todoist, and it is awesome at allowing you to visualize your project.  A lot times tasks aren’t simple and may be “in progress” for a while.  The board view helps to understand exactly where you are at in a particular project and what still needs to be completed. You can always switch back and forth between list view (traditional) and board view even after you start a project. You can drag and drop the tasks in between sections very easily as seen below

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Here is a tutorial from Todoist showing exactly how to use their board view:

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In summary, with as much as you have going on, you really need to have a digital to-do list with you at all times. I feel that Todoist provides you with exactly what you need to be efficient and not miss those small tasks that are crucial to wowing your clients in the end.  I hope these 3 tips help you to be more organized on a daily basis.  Reach out to me with any time management or to-do list tips and tricks!

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jparrish@cbeva.com

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Agent EducationBlogCareers October 22, 2020

5 Website Features Real Estate Agents MUST Have

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It is no secret that a website is one of the most important parts of a businessIt has truly replaced the storefront for many businesses, and it is the first place that most clients go to learn about a real estate agent. If you still do not have your own website or you just want to make sure you are on the right track.  Here are five must-have features for your real estate website: 

1. Testimonials

I’m starting out with testimonials because I think it is the most important part of your website. A testimonial or review is simply a previous client’s opinion of the service that you provide. It is just the modern version of word-of-mouth marketing. An agent can go on and on about how awesome they are and why you should use them to sell your homeWhen a potential client reads a review from someone who has used your service, it is much more believable! 

To simplify the importance let’s think about the last time you were looking for a new place to eat.  You probably received a recommendation from a friend. I want you to think about what you did next.  If you are like most people, you went to Google and searched the name of the restaurant and read the reviews.  We know that people trust the opinions of others for something as simple as a restaurant. So it makes sense that when someone is looking for an agent to help them with one of the most expensive purchases or sales of their life that they will want to see what other people think of you. 

So, you may be asking, “How do I get testimonials? I recommend that within a week or two of your client’s closing you send them a message asking them for a review of their experience with you.  I would give them instructions on exactly how to leave you a review on Google, Facebook, Zillow or anywhere else you want people to find you. Here is a link to a sample testimonial emailEvery time you get a testimonial make sure that you post it on your website! 

2. Contact me form and multiple CTAs throughout the site

One of the best tips I ever received (over a 10 years ago) on my first website was to add a contact form. I had spent hours getting all of our services, photos and reviews on the site.  The major part I didn’t think about was making it easy for people to get in touch with the company.  In your case, you want to make it super easy for your new potential clients to reach out to you via a simple form.  You can use Google Forms or most website builders have built-in forms.  It is important to make sure that the form sends you a notification to an email address that you check often.  You also want to make sure that you keep the form short and to the point (name, number, email, and reason). If you are asking for their complete life story, they most likely will not fill out the form. 

 

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You also want to add calls-to-action (CTA) throughout your website that lead clients to your Contact page.  As clients are browsing all of your content, you want to catch their attention and direct to where you want them to go typically through the use of a button.  I suggest using buttons that say something like “Schedule an Appointment” or “Schedule a Consultation”. In addition to these CTAs, make sure you have a “Contact” button in your top menu.  This is the location most people will look when they are ready to reach out to you. 

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. 

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jparrish@cbeva.com

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Agent EducationBlogCareersColdwell BankerPre-licensing March 27, 2019

Top 3 Benefits of a Career in Real Estate

I believe the top three benefits this business offers is financial independence, the freedom to manage your own time and most importantly, the ability to service and assist clients and customers to obtain one of the biggest assets of their lifetime: their home!

BlogBuyersColdwell BankerFirst-Time Home BuyersMarket InformationSellersSmart Home August 25, 2016

Smart Home Staging Kit Launch

SMART HOMESTAGING KIT

Coldwell Banker Launches Smart Home Staging Kit

Coldwell Banker’s launch of the Smart Home Staging Kit today is a huge benefit to our sellers and just another way Coldwell Banker continues to lead the industry with cutting-edge real estate marketing and services for our clients. Not only will homes that have our Smart Home Staging Kit installed be more appealing to millennials, eco-conscious buyers and buyers looking for energy-efficiency as a cost-saving measure, they will also be searchable on ColdwellBanker.com as an actual “Smart Home,” according to the CNET definition. These smart home listings will also appear on the CNET website, which means even more online exposure for your home.

Homebuyers are increasingly looking for Smart Home technology because it gives them the opportunity to take a more proactive role in the maintenance and security of their most expensive investment. As more buyers demand smart home features, these basic products will become de rigeur for new listings. The ability to purchase the Smart Home Staging Kit is going to be immensely helpful for our busy Coldwell Banker Elite sellers because most sellers don’t have the time to research which smart home tech will actually provide the most bang for their buck. Our sellers will receive a carefully curated collection of the most popular smart home tech for a discounted price of $999—about a $135 savings! All of these products can be installed by any DIY-friendly homeowner but if you’d rather leave it to a professional, we’ve partnered with Pro.com to install the kit for $550.

What Makes a Home Smart?

The Staging Kit includes the Nest Learning Thermostat, one of the breakout stars of the smart home tech world, which learns the temperature you like and adapts to your schedule. As it learns your preferences, the Nest Thermostat saves customers an average of 10-12% on heating bills and 15% on their cooling bills, which means it usually pays for itself in under 2 years. One of the best features about the Nest Thermostat is that it can be controlled remotely from an app on your phone, so you never need to worry if you left the heat blasting before you went on vacation!

Nest Thermostat

The Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm integrates with the same app and keeps you informed about the air quality in your home (and lets you hush false smoke alarms from your phone during any cooking disasters). The Nest Cam indoor security camera can be mounted almost anywhere and lets you keep an eye on everything going on at home while you’re away. Whether you’re checking in on Fido or making sure your school-age kids got home safely, it’s always nice to be able to keep an eye on things!

August Smart Lock

The kit also includes two products from August, the Smart Lock and the Connect, which make getting locked out or loaning a key to a handyman a thing of the past. The August Smart Lock can lock and unlock your deadbolt, create virtual keys for guests and keep track of who comes and goes, all from your phone. The last component of the Smart Home Kit is the Lutron Caseta Wireless Lighting Starter Kit which controls your lights, shades and temperature from an app. The Caseta Wireless Kit works with most lightbulbs so you can use the ones you already have, and create personalized lighting “scenes” like turning on the lights as you pull in your driveway or dimming specific lights for when you’re watching TV.

Caseta Wireless Kit

Most sellers already understand the value of incorporating smart home technology, and purchasing the Smart Home Staging Kit makes sure that they aren’t wasting their money on products that will not actually allow their home to be marketed as a “Smart Home.” The Smart Home Staging Kit gives Coldwell Banker Elite sellers a powerful tool to distinguish their property and dollar for dollar, there aren’t many improvements you can DIY for under $1000 that will drastically increase your home’s value and marketability like upgrading to a Smart Home.

Order your own Staging Kit now!