Ginny's Blog

I just joined http://bestdnavitamins.com  and have been amazed at how much money I can make.

I went to the pre-launch in Orlando a few weeks ago and met all the doctors and was so impressed. I was just going to join because of the vitamins because I love to be on the cutting edge of healthy living. But after I met everyone I decided to join as a distributor. By being a distributor I am able to get my vitamins FREE, make money and help others be healthy and make money too.

I just had my DNA tested and should have my test back and my vitamins in 2 weeks.  The more I hear about DNA testing and customized vitamins the more I believe in this 12 year old New York Stock exchange company who is the only company who has the cutting edge on this amazing product.

Because this company will launch August !st I feel I joined at the best time.  Please read this http://www.dnadoesntlie.com.

I am just wondering if anyone else works on other projects that brings them residual income to help with their retirement or to help in these slow real estate times.  I have heard of other companies selling juice and travel but most of the people that join don't make any money but I feel that since this product is so unique and there is no competition and I am at the top because I joined during pre-launch that I will do great with this because everyone who hears about it wants to join or buy the vitamins.  I even sold a home to someone I enrolled in the vitamins this week-end and I am meeting some of the most incredible people from all over the world.

What do you think?

Why Sell New Construction Now?

I had the great pleasure of meeting the creators of www.agentshield.com who have created the best way to showcase new homes on your personal Realtor website and to make it easier for Realtors to sell new homes.  They created a website that brings all the leads to the Realtor that signs up for Agent Shield and that agent retains all the leads so they can sell them the new home that the buyers are interested in.  No more loosing the buyers if they walk in the new home sales center without you.  You get the lead from your Agent Shield website, call the buyer and then register them with the new home sales office the buyer is interested in.  You can even make money selling new homes that are not in your home town sometimes not even in the USA.  Best of All it is FREE to all Realtors who sign up.  Agent Shield^TM can help you increase sales by quickly integrating a new development project that you may not have had the ability to effectively market in the past. Currently, as a real estate professional, you may be hesitant to link to any other outside websites, including any new construction sites for fear of losing valuable leads. With Agent Shield^TM, you can safely link to any site in the Agent Shield^TM Network with confidence. When a user clicks on a link from your site to a development site, all the contact information on that site now becomes yours!  These are just a few of the benefits. 

• Link to new developments' websites without fear of losing leads.
• Increase sales by quickly adding rich new products to your site.
• Never have outdated data about a development, thus increasing your credibility and customer satisfaction.
• Maintain full control of your leads.
• Stay on the edge of your market with automatic notices of any new developments or changes to existing ones.
• Maximize your website's effectiveness.

Below are some of the benefits of selling new homes:

•·         Higher commissions

•o        On average the typical split on an existing home sale leaves the agent with 3% commission on that sale.  Typically, 3% is the minimum commission these days for a new construction sale.  There are all sorts of financial incentives these days for selling new construction.  Some developers are offering 3% when the contract is written with an additional 2% when the property closes.  Others are offering a $25,000 bonus when the contract is firm.  Still others offer vacations and even new cars for selling their product.  These incentives are designed to grab your attention as realtors and to entice you to learn more about their development in hopes that it will be in the forefront of your mind when dealing with a potential buyer.

•·         Stats on Realtors being in involved in new construction sales

•o        Did you know that REALTORS account for over half all new construction sales nationally?  In many areas in Florida, that number can grow from 70%-90% of sale.  Real estate agents as by far the biggest sales force a developer can pull from.  Developers know this which is why they offer such great incentives since that money is only paid when results are produced.

•·         Easier sales process

•o        Another great aspect to selling new construction is that once a prospect makes the decision to buy, the in house sales team takes over and handles the whole process.  The legal and contractual responsibility falls on the developer shoulders who then takes  your buyer through the buying process.

•·         Newer product (warranties etc)

•o        The definition of new construction is that it is new.  Just like any other product people purchase, people love the idea of owning something new.   A never before lived in home falls into that same category and is a definite plus in buyer decision process.  Also, in most cases, the builder provides a warranty on the home so, just like a car, if anything were to go wrong or isn't up to par, the builder will fix for do charge.  This again is a huge benefit and something a buyer of a resale just doesn't receive.

•·         Great deals for buyers (closing incentives)

•o        Currently, there are some great perks that developers are offering buyers.  Here are a few I have seen recently:  credits to upgrade home, free golf memberships, no community dues for a year.

•·         Relationship building

•o        Building relationships and networking are major parts of real estate.  This is a great time to introduce yourself to developers locally and let them know you are interested learning more about that they have to offer.  Not only is it good to know what products are available, but often times great realtor events that can be great to socializing and meeting others in the industry.

•·         International and out of state sales (referral fees)

•o        You don't always have to look locally for developments to market.  Agents sometimes fail understand that they may be living in an area that is a feeder market for another.  A current buzz word example is the "half-backers".   South Florida has become a huge feeder market for people deciding to buy property in the mountains of Georgia, Tennessee as well as North and South Carolina.

I personally love selling new homes because it is so easy and I know that my buyer gets all the benefits above plus a new home that no one has ever lived in before.  I would say that at least half of my income comes from New Home Sales and this year as never before there are some great deals for buyers and incredible commissions and benefits for Realtors! Go to www.agentshield.com now to set up your own personal FREE New Home Website.

By Branding Yourself As America's Best Agent!  

Click On The Picture To See Our Video

Out of curiosity a few years ago, I asked a few of my home buyers and sellers if they knew what all those designations after my name meant. They thought it meant something special but were not really sure. I explained to them that the CRS designation means Certified Residential Specialist. They knew I sold residential real estate and not commercial real estate but didn't quite understand why I was asking them. They did not know that back then there were 50,000 CRS agents nation wide. They did not know that it is the highest designation you can have as a Realtor. They did not know that you have to sell a certain amount of real estate and complete a certain amount of classes prior to getting the designation. The general public does not know about all the continuing education we Realtors have to have. The public is unaware that we can go on and get an equivalent to a ‘Masters in Real Estate.'  

I started to do some research because I knew I had to come up with a better way to set myself apart. I knew I had to think of something that the general public would understand so I came up with the idea of America's Best Agents and America's Best Real Estate. Every buyer and seller wants to work with the best. Every agent wants to be recognized as the best. So I put together www.americasbestagents.com.  

At America's Best Real Estate's website we choose only one top agent per area to represent America's Best Agents. To be approved as America's Best Agent, you have to have been in the business at least 5 years and have sold at least 5 million dollars worth of real estate. You have to be presently working the business with a CRS designation or have at least two other NAR approved designations. You must be recommended or approved by one of the other members in America's Best and belong to the National Association of Realtors and follow the code of ethics. 

 In Naples Florida, where I live and work, there are close to 6400 Realtors in our local MLS Board which includes Bonita and Estero. It has been reported that one out of every three people in Naples has their real estate license. More than half of the agents here only sell one house a year, because many live out of state. You know that old saying, "10% of the agents do 90% of the business." That is not true in Naples. It's more like 5% of the agents do 95% of the business! 

When I first got into the real estate business close to 30 years ago, I was so excited I wanted to learn as much as I could as fast as I could. I chose to educate myself to the highest degree so I could best serve my clients. I got my GRI, CRS, ALHS, AHS and more. I wanted to have all the credentials because I wanted to stand out from other Realtors. 

I have had very few referrals from CRS agents since I received my designation in 1991. I was under the impression that I would get a lot of referrals from other CRS agents. I worked very hard to get my designations, and I know every agent who has the multiple designations have worked just as hard. I love having the designations but if the general public doesn't understand what they mean, how does it help set any of us apart from all the other real estate agents who don't have designations? I pondered this question over and over.  

Since starting America's Best Agents and branding our team as America's Best, our over all advertising expenses have gone down and our sales have more than doubled. I believe it is because of our name. We network together because we all want to help each other succeed. We are always researching for the best marketing tools to set us above the crowd of general Realtors.  I truly believe, especially in this difficult real estate market, that we have to do something different to stand out. We have a trade marked logo that agents can use on all their print materials showing their potential clients that they have been chosen as America's Best Agent in their local area. Building a large exclusive network of top agents has always been one of my dreams.  

I know there is nothing better than branding your name.  When you think of soda, you think of Coke. When you think of tissue, you think of Kleenex. It is our goal that when you think of real estate agents, you will think of America's Best Agents.  www.americasbestagents.com