As a real estate professional, I know you’re probably already on Facebook and Instagram. Everybody is.

But are you on LinkedIn? And if you are, are you using it to its fullest potential?

Here’s why I ask: Did you know that one in three business owners is on LinkedIn? One-third of all the businesses in your town are on LinkedIn.

The beauty of LinkedIn is that it helps you flesh out your own database—your CRM, your SOI—because it connects you to people from professions you’ve been in before. If you list past employers and say, “Hey, I’ve worked at these three companies,” LinkedIn will suggest people you might know.

You might look at that and say, “You know what? I do know that person. They’re not in my database, but I do know them.”

Now you can connect with them on LinkedIn, send them a message, get reconnected, and start a conversation. Then move them as quickly as you can into your SOI.

Think about alumni groups or colleges you’ve attended. All of these business-related connectio...

I have a question for you. As a real estate agent, how topical are you?

What do I mean by topical? In other words, when you watch the news at night, open up your web browser, or scroll through social media, a lot of real estate news hits us. Because we’re in the real estate business, we see a lot of news that affects us.

If it’s really top of mind for you, guess who else sees that? All of your clients see that too.

So when there’s a topic that’s hot, and you see a lot of trending discussion around that topic, what should you do with it? Well, you should speak to it. You should put out your own content where you talk about your opinion on that specific topic.

I’m going to give you two examples that fall into that realm right now—topics there’s been a lot of chatter about, two proposals by the current administration. You can agree or disagree with them, but there’s still a lot of chatter.

The two proposals: 50-year mortgages and portable mortgages.

Have you heard the chatter?

This...

Hey guys, new study from Harris Interactive—interesting study—found that every American knows four people who are going to move next year. I want you to put that in perspective.

Let's say you're a real estate professional and you have just a hundred people in your database. You might say that's not enough to make a living. The reality is those hundred people know 400 people who are going to move.

What percentage of those would you need to have a complete transformation in your career? To actually 10x your performance from last year?

So then the question is: if that's true, how do I get my arms around that business? What am I missing? What am I doing wrong?

I'm going to give you two things you're doing wrong...

First one is going to be hard to hear: people don't look at you as referral worthy.

What does that mean? It means when they look at you, they're thinking, “I don't know if I could trust him or her with a referral,” because they don’t know you're a hardworking agent.

Why do...

As a real estate agent, one of the challenges you face is creating engaging social media posts that spark genuine conversations with others.

I want to share a strategy that’s simple but highly effective. I call it the “This or That” strategy.

This strategy works because people love to give their opinion. When someone asks for our opinion, we feel valued—it’s an ego boost. And the same happens when you ask your audience.

Here’s how it works: Say you’re taking a new listing and had professional photography done. You’ve got four options for the lead photo. Post them on social media and ask, Which one should I use—A, B, C, or D?

People love that.

Another example: if you’ve virtually staged a room, show two different versions and ask, “Which do you prefer? This or that.”

It’s simple, but it drives high engagement.

You can also personalize this strategy. Send it as a text to your top 25 clients or include it in an email blast. There are many ways to use it.

Here’s the psychology behi...

Here’s a key question when it comes to pricing: Who’s influencing who in a listing meeting?

When you walk into a house, remember you’re the expert. As a real estate professional, you're looking at homes every single day. You’re showing properties, scanning the MLS, reviewing the hot sheet, and touring listings. That’s why clients hire us and pay tens of thousands of dollars. Because we know the market.

Most of us walk into a home with a gut number. You know what I mean. You look around and think, This house will sell for $454K or $625K. And you’re usually pretty close.

But here's what happens: You walk in with that gut number... and then the seller starts talking.

They show you every improvement, tell you why they love the house, and explain why they think it’s worth more. Before you know it, you're moving your number toward their number.

But it should be the other way around:

You should be influencing them. You are the expert. And if you want to price a home where it will actual...

So what are five reasons why someone should list their home in today's spring market, spring of 2025? I'm going to walk you through these reasons, and you can share them in an email, a newsletter, or your own video to your clients.

First, interest rates have come down from their highs. We're not at the peak anymore. In the past few weeks, rates have started to dip because there's talk of a potential recession. While a recession isn't great for the economy, it can actually benefit real estate by lowering interest rates. Buyers are catching onto this and becoming more active—more loan applications, more market activity.

Second, buyers are still out there. Despite everything happening in the economy, the job market, and beyond, people still want to own homes. Over 90% of American adults want to own a home—they're just trying to find a way to make it happen. Homeownership may have dipped over the years, but that desire to stop renting and start owning is still strong.

Third, inventory i...

Question:

Should you have your own podcast?

Absolutely!

It's a powerful tool to boost your influence and authority in your local market. By focusing on your niche, you become an expert and build authority over time.

Another benefit?

You can connect with influential people in your community. Create a list of top movers and shakers and invite them to be guests on your show. It's a win-win—you'll elevate your podcast's status and forge valuable connections.

Podcasting is straightforward—all you're doing is asking questions. Make it easy for your guests by providing a list of questions beforehand. Trust me, they'll love the opportunity to share their insights.

The best part?

You can repurpose your podcast content across different platforms using tools like Opus Pro and Repurpose.ai. It's seamless and helps you reach a broader audience.

As for the cost?

It's super affordable. Platforms like Buzzsprout make hosting a breeze, and services like Fiverr can help with intros and outros....

When somebody hears the word “real estate” in your market, what do you think comes to mind?

For most Americans, it's instantly Zillow. They've taken over this position in consumers' minds, being the first place they go for searches and home values.

So, how do we compete against a billion-dollar company?

A lot of you have given up and said, I'm just going to start buying my leads from Zillow. Keep in mind that's a negative 32% ROI, meaning for every $10 spent, you lose $3.20.

So, how do you win against Zillow and take over “Mindshare” in your local community?

You can't do it entirely, but it'll come from getting close to your consumers and your community.

Why?

Zillow can't create relationships with specific people in specific communities. But you can… by developing relationships with your own audiences, showing expertise, and connecting with local businesses and charities. Highlight why you love your community through videos and social media.

When people think “real estate” in y...

There's a fantastic book I read years ago called "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout. It delves into the concept that our brains, like a whiteboard, need a space. As marketers, our goal is to occupy that space in the consumer's mind. However, with numerous competitors in the market, the challenge is stiff.

I appreciate the idea that it's not about what we want to say; it's about what consumers want to hear and learn from us. Consider the top four things consumers seek from a realtor: finding the right home, assistance with paperwork (part of negotiation), negotiating price, and negotiating terms.

Reflect on these four aspects—finding the right home, negotiations on price and terms, and paperwork. Are we addressing these in our marketing and branding? Shift from what we want to say to what clients want to learn. This transforms marketing into something people want to pay attention to.

Now, let's consider what sellers want. The top four things a seller desires: an expert in pricin...

Hey everyone, I've got a question for you:

What are your standout moments when working with buyers?

It's vital to consider the service aspect of our job: Service is what we do for our clients, while hospitality is about how we make them feel.

We are essentially in the hospitality business, aiming to create emotional, “WOW” experiences for our clients that leave them saying, "Wow, I can't believe what you just did for me."

These are the moments that lead to referrals and repeat business.

Let me share three examples of “wow” moments that can enhance your buyer representation business.

First, implement a pre-meeting questionnaire: Just like when you visit a doctor, send your clients a short questionnaire ahead of time. Let them know it will help you serve them better. If they don't complete it, suggest arriving 15 minutes early to the meeting to fill it out. This simple step can improve your presentation and service.

How many other REALTORS are doing this? Very few.