The economic downturn and housing crisis have been tough on many Americans, and some real estate professionals have been hit especially hard. I have talked to many real estate agents, appraisers, and mortgage professionals who went from busy to super slow in a matter of months.

There have been bright spots with sales motivated by the first time home buyer tax credit and a recent uptick in refinances due to record low mortgage rates, but the past couple of years have not been kind to many smart, driven, hard working, and experienced individuals in the real estate industry. Recently I have heard of more and more professionals say they have decided to or are considering scaling back their real estate work to part time and finding another part time job to help them stay afloat.

While I understand the thinking behind this, and admire the willingness to be flexible, I think it is important to really think through the following issues before wholly or partially giving up a profession you love and have seen success in.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Becoming a Part-Time Realtor in a Tough Economy

1. Will I be able to serve my customers well as a part-time agent?
   If not why would you ask a buyer or seller to stay with you? In this market you need something that sets you apart from everyone else – for the better. If another part time job means not returning phone calls or emails promptly, being unable to accommodate a client’s schedule for showings, and not giving 100% to the homes you have listed for sale and the home search for your buyers it’s not fair to you or your clients. It will also only mean more stress and anxiety for you as you feel that you are letting people down.
2. Will I be poised to reenter the market full force when it improves?
   Most of us in the industry believe real estate values will begin to rise again, and that the market will pick up before too long. Call it the American spirit…or crazy optimism. When the market does rebound will you want to be right back in the thick of things? If you take a step back what will you do to keep your skills sharp, and to stay up to date on the market? How will you stay in front of your client and referral base so they know who to turn to when it’s time to buy or sell a home?
3. Will my income be higher with two part time jobs?
   Sometimes the allure of a steady paycheck doesn’t translate to an actual increase in income. Consider what the part time position pays per hour. Do you see any opportunity to make some changes to your current business that would allow you to increase your income or decrease your expenses by that amount? Sometimes some creative thinking or focused effort will pay off more than moonlighting as a bartender.

If after thinking it through it makes the most sense for you to seek another position, first see if you can find something that is still related to the real estate industry. Your existing skill set will make you a great candidate potentially allowing you to bypass entry level jobs, and it will help you stay connected to real estate. Some examples include leasing consultant or property manager at an apartment or office complex, sales agent for a new home builder, relocation specialist for a large corporation, or even receptionist or administrative assistant for a real estate brokerage.

If you do set your sights outside the industry watch out for employment scams that are especially prevalent in this tough economy. Be wary of any position that requires you to make an up front investment.

A strategic default is when a homeowner walks away from their home when they owe more on the home than it is currently worth. In some circumstances, the homeowner can afford to make the mortgage payments, but due to the decreased value of the home under the current market conditions, they feel it is a financially sound maneuver simply to leave their home behind and rent or try to find another home which has also lost value.

Thousands of homeowners have strategically defaulted on their homes and have left the mortgage company holding the bag. The mortgage company now has an asset for which they do not have a revenue stream. Plus, the property is now a liability because the mortgage company is obligated to maintain the property so that adjacent homes do not further lose value.

Due to the enactment of new Fannie Mae regulations, a strategic default will now have more severe consequences for the homeowner than in the past. Continue reading this post

It’s been almost 6 months since we started our Lead Conversion Administrator (LCA) program. So much has happened and I continue on the quest to increase our lead conversion.  I won’t do lead conversion stats for another few weeks, but I thought our results so far are very notable.  So far this year we have closed about 175 properties with 15 more set to close this month.  On top of that we have around 20 or so short sales contracts waiting to close too. We know that doesn’t mean anything though.  Right now we are 19.1% ahead of last year which keeps in line with my goal of 20% growth per year.

With all this said, it’s still interesting with the struggle we have with keeping Agents in work mode.  Yes, the market has been tough.

However, as I try to explain to my Agents, it’s only tough if you are trying to sell listings.  Since 90% of our sales come from buyers, my Agents need not worry about how bad the market is, but how they can help their customers.  We are blessed to have over 38,000 leads in our system and a software product, our 100MPH Marketing software, that allows us to seek out only the most active leads with potential to buy.  I have been analyzing my numbers on a regular basis.  I know, no surprise to those who know me.  It still comes down to having the right agents.  I have 21 Agents right now.  Of those Agents, 12 never sold a home prior to coming to my office and are all on track to have at least 20 sales this year.

Continue reading this post

HomeGain rolled out its November/December 2009 newsletter for Realtors, called “Agent Success Newsletter“.

The digital real estate newsletter included:

• Feature Story: Announced the results from HomeGain’s Q4 home prices survey which showed that the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit spurs home sales and stabilizes home prices. Special thanks to the Realtors and members of the press who attended the December Press Call. News coverage of the home prices survey includes: Boston Globe, Real Estate Economy Watch, UPI, Dallas Dirt, RISMedia, Inman News, Sellsius Blog, DS Magazine, Housing One Magazine, OC Metro Magazine, Staten Island Real Estate News. Read all news stories.
• Agent Question of the Month: I recently noticed the new “Agent Video” feature for my AgentEvaluator® and AgentView subscriptions and wanted to know if HomeGain has any best practices or tips for making my Intro-video? Get answer
  
• HomeGain News: Two Realtor members earn $500,000 from HomeGain; Home Improvement and Staging Survey results were released; HomeGain launches a Share the Smiles campaign for Realtors (don’t forget to send in your photos!); HomeGain moves its office to a new location in Emeryville.
• Agent Success Awards: We congratulated the newest AgentEvaluator Platinum Club, Gold Club and Silver Club members (16 real estate agents inducted).
• Customer Advocates: For October, Chris Johnson was the winner and for November, Charles Koo was recognized.
  

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Read past real estate newsletters

If you don’t follow up on your leads, don’t complain you are not converting leads.

Those who know me know that my only goal in life these days (ok, I have some non work related) is to have the highest conversion rate amongst Real Estate brokerages in the country.   The better we become with our lead conversion (leads to sales) the more excited I get and the more detailed I get in teaching my Agents how to get the most out of their leads.  It’s always a challenge.

Right now my biggest challenge is getting the right Agents who have the work ethic to become successful.

I’ll give you an example.  I have a new Agent, I think this is her 8th week with me so far.  She has her second closing tomorrow and she wrote 3 contracts this past month.  That gives her basically 5 transactions by the time she finishes her first three months with me (she has 120 leads in her system).  Pretty amazing.

I have another Agent, who started with me 5 months ago.  He has closed 3 sales, has 4 contracts on the short sale board and wrote 4 more contracts in October.  Both these Agents have just started their Real Estate career.  They are brand new Agents!

Now let’s look at my 5 bottom Agents.  Continue reading this post

All of us are fully aware of the recent changes in the appraisal industry.  Another victim of yesterday’s market, there is now a “hands off” message that lenders take very seriously.

What I have observed is that the bigger the lender, the more distance that exists between loan officers and appraisers.

For instance, it’s my understanding that Bank of America uses a third party company to set up appraisers…whereas some of the more local lenders are able to “select” a pool of local appraisers thru whom they can rotate business.

As a listing agent, I have found that my input in this new climate is crucial.  My job is not to influence, but to educate.

In a couple of instances, I have opened the door for appraisers who were clearly outside of their geographical comfort zone and the information and comps I have provided were important in verifying a clear market value.

A recent experience clearly confirmed the need for listing agents to meet with appraisers.  The names, location, and exact pricing have been changed to protect the innocent…but, otherwise, this is a 100% true story.

In September, I received an offer on a condo that was listed for $1.45 million in Georgetown (three cheers for Georgetown, right? But that’s another story of market holding strong).  After a round of negotiation, the seller accepted an offer for $1.375 million.  The lender for the buyer was a large, national company.

Although I asked the buyer’s agent to let me know when the appraisal was scheduled, the lender did not  keep either of us in the loop (perhaps he couldn’t…because he, too, was not in the loop) and, because the building had a concierge, the appraiser did his on site inspection without giving me notice. Continue reading this post