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What Could Your Social Media Campaign Look Like?

08 11.10

I have blogged recently regarding using Social Media with your Real Estate Marketing.

Have you wondered what your Social Media Marketing could look like?

Here are just a few samples of how I can get your started with your Social Media.

Already have something in place? I can make it POP and work even better!

The sky is the limit and creativity is boundless!

Contact Me Today to Get Started!

Has Social Media Gotten the Best of You?

03 11.10

Have you thought about adding Social Media to your marketing?

Have you tried to incorporate it into your marketing?

Are you completely lost and intimidated?

I can help ….

You are a Real Estate Agent! You don’t need to waste your time trying to reinvent the Social Media wheel. Give me a call today and I will set it up for you.  That’s all – your Social Media worries would be over and then you can focus on what you do best – list and sell real estate.

Cities With the Highest Credit Scores in America – a repost

30 09.10

moneywatchcbnc/By Ilyce Glink | Sep 30, 2010

Do you live in a city with the highest credit scores in America? And if you do, does it matter when you go to get a loan?

Experian, one of the three major credit reporting bureaus, released a new feature called LiveCreditSmart.com. (You can also get to it under the “Credit Education”
button on the company’s main website.) The site lists the U.S. cities with the highest and lowest credit scores.

Credit scores, on the scale created by Fair Isaacs Corporation (called a FICO score), range from 300 to 850. According to Credit Karma, in August, 2010 the
average American’s credit score was 667.

Less than 1 percent of the population has a credit score above 800, so it’s pretty unlikely you’ll see a 850 credit score. If your credit score is above 720, you will
probably still receive the best interest rates (a score above 780 is welcomed with open arms these days by lenders) and it boosts your chances of being able to get loans.
No city in the country has an average score over 800, but the cities at the top are pretty close.

Cities With The Highest (Average) Credit Scores:

Minneapolis, 1. MN – 787
Madison, WI – 785
Cedar Rapids, IA – 781
Green Bay, WI – 780
San Francisco, CA – 780

The Midwest dominates the list (it seems to be doing that a lot lately). The region has been topping several
categories I’ve blogged about recently, including most affordable real estate markets and most
recession-proof cities.

Don’t pack your bags and head to Minnesota yet though, living in the city won’t boost your credit score, that takes
time and hard work (plus it’s going to snow up there soon).

Here are three easy things you can do to raise your credit score right now:

Pay your bills. The easiest way to raise your credit score is to pay all of your bills, in full, on time, every month. Never carrying a balance if you can help it.
Check your credit report for errors. Fraudulent activity on your accounts can bring down your credit score, and no one is going to tell you about it. It’s your
responsibility to check your credit report for any inaccuracies. You’re entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus-
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion-at AnnualCreditReport.com. That means you get three FREE reports each year. Be sure to use them

Don’t open new credit cards. You’re lining up to buy a couple hundred dollars worth of merchandise from your favorite chain store and they offer you 20
percent off your purchase if you open a credit card. Don’t do it! The immediate benefit of 20 percent off is generally not worth the negative effect those extra
cards cause on your credit score. (My own credit score got hit when I tried this, although it has now bounced back.)

Still wondering who has a perfect credit score of 850 and how you can get one? Watch this video I did with Steve Ely, former president of Equifax Personal
Information Solutions: click here for the video

(Be sure to check out LiveCreditSmart.com to see how your city and state measure up.)

Toot Toot Toot

22 09.10

You may have read what my business can do for your business on my Real Estate Marketing page of my website. I’d like to go into a bit of more detail … “toot” my own horn, if I may.

This is how I can “Bild” your Real Estate Business:

  1. Update your client data base and implement your client contact system. If you don’t have one right now, I can implement a very basic (b-a-s-i-c) one to use until your business picks up – which it will when you start staying in contact with your clients on a consistent basis.
  2. I can get you up to speed with your social media campaign – back linking your site on sites which are LOVED by Google.
  3. I can get you up and going and receive lead generation  -  yes, lead generation – using Craigslist.
  4. I can blog blog blog for you with useful content – for SEO.
  5. I can Tweet – retweet on Twitter  and post – repost on your Business Facebook page – I can create all that for you in getting you up to speed with your Social Media Campaign.
  6. I can have your Agent website built – which WORKS - for A LOT less than other web building sites and it’s not a template and it’s fully owned and controlled by you. Not the large web-building companies that nickle and dime you for content changes and everyone has the same SEO content. You’d also have to build a new site anyway if you changed companies. HUGE BENEFIT! I also would be right in there with all the designing and reporting back to you, so you don’t have the head-aches.
  7. I can brand you and make you look sharper and different than other agents in your area.
  8. If you are just starting out or in a slump – I will provide the tools to help you “Bild” your new business or bring your business back.
  9. I know what to read and who to follow which will sharpen your business edge.
  10. I belong to very select organizations which keep me in touch, which keeps you in touch.
  11. I also have short-sale and bank owned property experience ….
  12. I can manage closings for your properties. Not only did I manage all my own closings (usually 7 at a time) over a 10 year period, I have been a closing coordinator virtually.

I am more than an ordinary Assistant. I’m professional, trained, licensed in the State of Iowa, not have years of real estate experience but years of business office experience as well. I LOVE technology and am excited how it helps build businesses, and I’m a GREAT sounding board. And best of all – I will stay around. I will not suck up all your wisdom and experience to start off on my own real estate business. I’ve had my office and I like helping agents grow to be the best in their areas.

So, call me today – 319-853-0372 or email me through my contact page.

Let me help you.

Your Real Estate Business

12 08.10

What does your day look like? Is it what you thought it would be when you started your real estate career? Are you making the income you thought you would? Do you have all that “free” time you thought you’d have “being your own boss”? Is this what you thought your life would look like?

Real Estate isn’t easy. It’s darn right tough and grueling. Real Estate has one of the highest divorce rates and the stress is unbelievable – as much as an air traffic controller. When I had stars in my eyes starting out as an agent (much less a broker) I had NO idea what was in store for me. Did you? Would you have chosen this life if you knew?

However, I would do it all over again. BUT, I would be smarter about it. I would ask for help so I could enjoy all the fun aspects of real estate like working face to face with clients and networking. That’s the fun stuff – not the paperwork, data entry, mailings and closing details.

Working with clients earns more money for you than all the background duties performed. Networking and personal contact starts the trust building which bring you more introductions and referrals. You work so hard attracting clients, befriending them – they want to see you and hear from you. They want to stay friends. When you spend your valuable time doing all the other duties, they get less of your contact and will at some point become disenchanted. They will gravitate to someone who will maintain a relationship and have their trust.

Isn’t it cheaper just to do everything else yourself? Sure, you aren’t “paying” anyone to enter your listings, client data entry or maintaining your blog, mls and website, but it could be costing you more in the long run. You start wooing  a buyer or a seller, working with them on a personal level – building  a relationship of trust. You may be juggling many clients at once. How can you give them your full attention, if you have your head in the computer or are so exhausted staying up late catching up on paperwork? One over-site or one mistake with their process and all the work you have done to build trust could be lost. That could be costly mistake.

I know it’s hard to hand parts of your business over to someone else. However, unless you do, you may not know how great your business can become and how much fun it can be!

Start small …. pick something you detest in doing ….. and think about handing that over. See? Feeling pretty good, right? Don’t have to dread doing it. You can then go on to the next thing you don’t like to do. Perhaps, that’s another thing you may want to pass on …. ah, that feels even better! And this may free up more time to go to that fun networking activity (golfing?) to find more potential clients.

The choice is yours to whom you may want to pass some tasks to. However, a Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistant (you knew this was coming, right?) will provide a service in which there is no training needed and you can use them as little or as much as you want. And they are an independent contractor, so all you have to do is send a 1099 at the end of the year. If it’s just a project – contract them just for the project. Simple. Easy. Cost effective.

Bild a Better Business is no ordinary Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistant Company. I am a licensed Broker in the State of Iowa. I know real estate law and ethics. I have lived and still love the business. I have done short sales, foreclosures, FHA/VA/Rural Development Loans and have worked with about any type of client you will come into contact with. Having been a VA for over 4 years working with clients throughout the United State, I have gotten to know how the real estate process works in different states.

In addition, you wouldn’t be hiring just an assistant who would just do what you want them to do (which is good, if that is what you want and I can do that), but I will supplement what you already know. I can put together marketing plans and campaigns to build and maintain your clients. I know technology. I know what programs you need.  I know how to get you up to speed with Social Media and how to make it work for you. I know what you need for a website and blog. All this to help get you to a higher level — boost your career – help you become a top performer.

Above all, I can help you have a business and a personal life.

So, if you want to “Bild” your business, contact me. We can go over what you need and how much you need to grow your business. Start small to see if it’s a good fit. Either way – ask for help. Your family and clients will appreciate it.

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