Congratulations to Realtor® Andrew Duncan of Keller Williams Realty in Tampa, Florida for being the next $50 winner of the HomeGain Agent Appreciation contest!

A HomeGain member since 2006, Andrew is an AgentEvaluator® Gold Club member, an AgentView member as well as a HomeGain Blogger. “That’s fantastic!” commented Andrew on hearing the news.

The correct answer to “How Many Max Gorillas Are There?” is: 10!

As the Agent Appreciation celebration comes to a close, we are also pleased to announce the Grand Prize winner of $100 — Laurie Hill of Desert Gem Real Estate in Surprise, Arizona.

Laurie has been a HomeGain member since 1999. She is an AgentEvaluator Platinum Club member and a BuyerLink™ real estate agent. “Yeah, that’s great,” said Laurie. “I’ll gladly accept the honor and the $100!”

Thank you to all weekly surprise participants for making it a great Agent Appreciation month. See you next year!

Congratulations to Amanda MacLaughlin of RE/MAX Equity Group in Portland, Oregon for being the next $50 winner of the HomeGain Agent Appreciation contest!

A HomeGain member since 2007, Amanda has recently been inducted into the AgentEvaluator Silver Club for her real estate success with home buyers and sellers.

The 5 correct answers from the Spot the Difference HomeGain contest were:

1. The man on the right side is looking a different direction
2. The little girl on the right side of the photo has a pink coat versus blue coat
3. The blond lady is holding the gorilla in one photo but not the other
4. The emblem on the man’s hat in the front is different colors
5. There is a gorilla added into the middle of bottom photo

See the Week 2 Word Search Contest and Realtor Winner

See the Week 1 Trivia Contest and Realtor Winner

On Monday we will announce the final game!

We’ll announce the Grand Prize winner on Monday, November 2nd. Make sure you play each week to increase your chances of winning the Grand Prize!

Congratulations to  Danielle Boling CRS, CNHS, AHS, ABR, HHS of Network Real Estate Partners in Texas for being the next $50 winner of the HomeGain Agent Appreciation contest!

Danielle is an AgentEvaluator Platinum Club Member and has been with HomeGain since 2007.

The 6 correct answers from the Word Search Contest were:

• AgentView
• Homegain
• Success
• Leads
• Thanks
• Realtor

Next week’s new contest starts on Monday! Are you good at comparing photos? Might be worth the $50!

Login to your HomeGain account on Monday and Tuesday (and make sure you have your pop up blocker off) to get the link to the Agent Appreciation page.

Or email us.

Congratulations to  Chris K. Canfield of RE/MAX Schoolside Realtors® in Connecticut for being the first $50 winner of the HomeGain Agent Appreciation contest!

Chris is an AgentEvaluator Platinum Club Member and has been with HomeGain since 2003. “Thanks!” stated Chris. “Every $50 helps these days.”

The correct answers from the Trivia Contest were:

What is the name of HomeGain’s new rewards program?  Max Points

What year was HomeGain founded?  1999

What did the BBB rate HomeGain?  A+

Next week’s new contest starts on Monday! Are you good at word searches? Might be worth the $50!

Login to your HomeGain account on Monday and Tuesday (and make sure you have your pop up blocker off) to get the link to the Agent Appreciation page. Or email us.

I am continually amazed by how little some people know about the real estate business.

Most people generally have a good idea about how the industry works but every now and then I run into someone who is pretty naïve about the home buying process. Even doctors, lawyers, CEO’s and other professionals may not know how our business works.

Here are 10 things you should know about working with a Realtor®.

1)  Realtors® work on commission

There may be a few exceptions here and there but most Realtors work on 100% commission. That means no salary, no draw, no bonuses, no nothing. If there is not a successful closing the Realtor does not get paid. No only do they not make any money they actually lose money. Agents are essentially small businesses with various expenses like advertising, websites, business cards, stationary, direct mailers, gas, time and energy. If they don’t generate revenue they lose money.

Realtors are not public servants. Don’t ask them to work for you if you don’t think they will get compensated with a commission from a successful transaction.

2)  Hire a Realtor®

First figure out if you want to work with or without a Realtor. Some people want to work directly with the listing agent because they think that they will get a better deal on the property. If you do want to work directly with the listing agent keep in mind that they had a prior relationship with the seller before meeting you. The Realtor might look out for the seller’s interests instead of yours. It might be best to hire a Realtor that represents you in the transaction. Continue reading this post

Last week HomeGain rolled out the September/October issue of its Agent Success Newsletter.

The digital real estate newsletter included:

Feature Story:

“New Survey Results: Where Do REALTORS® Think Home Prices Are Heading?”

The results of the 3rd quarter HomeGain Realtor Survey on Home Prices show that since the first quarter, HomeGain members are of the opinion that home prices are stabilizing and will continue to do so. 69% of HomeGain members believe that home prices will remain the same in the next six months.

We also asked our members whether they approved or disapproved of President Obama’s performance. What did they say? Read complete survey findings

Follow HomeGain: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube

Agent Insight – Question of the Month:

Q: How does the new video feature on AgentEvaluator® work (for adding videos to my proposals)?

HomeGain News:

AgentEvaluator® “Refer an Agent” Sweepstakes – Chance to Win $300!

New Toll-Free Number For AgentView Members

HomeGain Nation Session Videos Now Available

October: 4th Annual Agent Appreciation Campaign Is Launched Continue reading this post