We are pleased to announce the HomeGain AgentEvaluator Top Performers™ of 2008.

Many HomeGain real estate agents and brokers had successful years, despite the downturned in home prices market nationwide. We are proud to recognize these agents for their high level of accomplishment in association with HomeGain’s AgentEvaluator marketing program.

In addition to highlighting the 2008 Top Performers by Region, 2008 Top Performers by State, and Rookie Agent of the Year, HomeGain recognizes agents in each region of the country that had impressive sales and are deserving of honorable mention.

HomeGain is proud that we can quantify the many successes of our AgentEvaluator agents in 2008.

Congratulations to all of our 2008 top performers! We look forward to continued success for all of our member agents during 2009.

Before announcing the Top AgentEvaluator Performers below, here are some 2008 AgentEvaluator and market highlights:

2008 AgentEvaluator Highlights:

• HomeGain recognizes 51 of its member real estate agents who have received Top Performer awards based on nationwide, regional and state achievements,
• Overall, in 2008 HomeGain’s top five Realtors earned an average of $236,918 in gross closed commissions from their HomeGain AgentEvaluator business and an average of 20 closed transactions.
• We now have a  total of 846 member agents in the AgentEvaluator Silver, Gold and Platinum Clubs based on the following criteria:
  - 229 agents are Silver Club honorees with an excess of $50,000 in gross commissions earned from their HomeGain leads.
  - 271 agents are Gold Club honorees with an excess of $75,000 in gross commissions.
  - 346 agents are Platinum Club honorees with an excess of $125,000 in gross commissions.
• The average AgentEvaluator Platinum, Gold or Silver agent earned over $31,348 in gross closed commissions in 2008 and closed an average of 5.5 transactions.
• HomeGain’s average home sale price nationwide was $236,602 in 2008.
• HomeGain’s average home price nationwide fell only 3% in 2008 over 2007. ($236,602 in 2008 vs. $244,006 in 2007)

And the 2008 Top AgentEvaluator Performers are… Continue reading this post

HomeGain emailed out this month’s Agent Success Newsletter today to its real estate agents and brokers.

The Feature Story was dedicated to agents who visited the HomeGain booth at NAR last month in Orlando. See featured videos.

The Question of the Month came from Kathy Hayes in Hermosa Beach, CA, who asked, “I just signed up on AgentView and want to start using the blog but am not sure where to begin. What do you suggest?” Thanks for your question, Kathy! Read the Blog Professor’s response. If you have your own question for the Blog Professor, Joseph Ferrara, please send an email to blogprofessor@homegain.com. 

Under the News section, the newsletter summed up the success of the December 4 Ask the Experts event, offered FREE HomeGain license plate frames and announced that the 2008 Top Performers will be determined next month in January. (See last year’s Top Performers)

Under the Awards section, we congratulated the newest AgentEvaluator^® Platinum Club, Gold Club and Silver Club members. These real estate agents represent our top performing real estate professionals nationwide and receive a reduced referral fee rate.

The newsletter concluded with a quote from Sara Calo of Howard Hanna Real Estate in Ohio who commended Samantha Apsey here at HomeGain for her excellent customer service, and by announcing this month’s Customer Advocate of the Month, Ken Yee.

Interested in receiving HomeGain’s complimentary Agent Success Newsletter once a month? Sign up here. 

Read past newsletters

How did Andrew Duncan of Keller Williams Realty double his business within two months? By doubling his team, of course!

We are pleased to have Andrew as this month’s Agent Success Newsletter Featured Real Estate Agent.

In our exclusive call with Andrew, he tells us what it takes to build a team and make it function effectively and productively. He describes setting up different functions from customer service to transaction coordination, selecting the right management systems, and using marketing strategies like HomeGain, Craigslist and YouTube.

Listen to Andrew’s sound advice:

Highlighted Quotes From Andrew:

Continue reading this post

This month’s Agent Success Newsletter features Debra Gravelle, a Realtor® at Grant County Properties in Moses Lake, Washington. In our exclusive interview with Debra, she discusses the value of trying new online marketing programs, and how her business has skyrocketed in the past six months as a result of finding the right ones.

Listen to Debra’s feature story:

Also read the full story: Continue reading this post

This month’s Agent Success Newsletter features Bill Eiseman of Prudential Decker Realty in Virginia.

In our exclusive interview with Bill, he advises other agents on best practices for handling short sales. With the market full of short sales and foreclosures this year, Bill delivers strategies from approaching a short sale with homeowners, to working with banks, to recognizing warning signs and how to end the short sale successfully.

Listen to this great interview with Bill Eiseman:

To hear more HomeGain Radio interviews, plus find real estate articles, survey results and more, visit ourMedia Center!

Continue reading this post

We are pleased to have Mike Farmer, Owner/Broker of Mike Farmer Realty in Savannah, GA as the featured real estate agent in the HomeGain Agent Success Newsletter for August.

Mike is also an AgentEvaluator member and a HomeGain Blog contributor.

In our exclusive interview, Mike discusses his strategies behind successfully offering and securing homebuyer representation with 24 out of 25 buyers.

Why and when should an agent get a contract with home buyers? What’s the best way to explain a buyer’s contract? What kind of commission is negotiated?

Listen to Mike Farmer’s advice and find out!