The Solution a Real Estate Podcast

Should you invest in a long-term vacation rental?  Realtors are often under-invested, The Solution today goes into detail about how long-term rentals are a successful way for agents to become pro-investors. Jeff and Phil talk about the ups and downs of managing properties including various overhead costs, outsourcing companies or working from home, expectations and outcomes, turnovers, nightly rates, lease rates, and more.   Thanks for listening to our last episode of season 6. We hope you're excited about what's next on season 7 where we focus on the lifestyles of an agent.  ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Today's podcast is a follow-up to our last episode where we shared the most profitable thing you should do in real estate. We're sharing how to earn money in real estate without working. This episode is all about ways to build alternative sources of income by acquiring houses. We introduced the Certified Opportunity Procurement Process, which is helping you identify properties that can have a positive cash flow and would be good as a rental property. We're looking at properties that are going to be at least 20% below the highest comp in the neighborhood. What Matters When Looking at Investment Properties In the Certified Opportunity Procurement Process, do days on the market matter? The short answer is no, as they do lead to opportunities. On the other hand, days on the market do matter as it helps to identify motivated sellers. Do price reductions matter? There's an unwritten rule that a seller won't accept anything more than 10-15% from the asking price. It is something we're using as a tool to help identify people who are motivated. Do you like to target the highest price per square foot rental price areas? It's not that easy. You miss too many opportunities that may not be in the highest rental price markets. As properties go through the Certified Opportunity Procurement Process, how much do you consider the down payment? This is highly considered as it affects your overall cash flow. Pool or no pool? You typically get a higher return on a home with a pool, but there are other factors to consider such as the condition and size of the pool and is the pool gated. If you came here to learn how to earn money in real estate without working, find passive income rental properties. Let us help you qualify them to make sure they match what you're trying to build in your portfolio. These last two episodes likely triggered some questions so we've arranged a special Q&A via Zoom on Monday, August 8th at 1 pm PST. We invite you to join us and share this with anyone else you think might be interested.

The most profitable thing you do in real estate is to invest in real estate. In this episode, Jeff and Phil discuss how you can earn passive income while earning equity in your home. Do you wonder what you're going to do if something goes wrong? How are you going to afford to pay for unexpected expenses? Why not leverage the equity you have in your home and take advantage of rental rates so you can have it all? We want to help you grow wealth by showing you the ways that have worked for us. Our new Certified Opportunity Procurement Process ensures that you make money on every deal by creating a monthly cash flow. We're here to help you figure out how to buy your first home or rental property to help build credibility with your clients. Listen to the full episode to learn about the most profitable thing that we have done in real estate which is investing in real estate for ourselves. Do you have an investment property you're considering? Reach out to us and let us help assess your situation. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

In this episode, you'll learn the truth about eXp Realty and if it's a good choice for agents. Agents' needs are evolving. You want a brokerage that not only supports you, one that offers training, and leads, but you want a brokerage that's accessible and helps you build wealth. Listen in to learn how the eXp Realty commission model is different and how eXp incentivizes its agents to help the people they bring to eXp. ❓️ Join us LIVE Monday, July 25th at 1 pm PST as Jeff and Phil answer your questions about eXp Realty

How do you sell more today, to own more tomorrow, so you can earn more in the future? In today's podcast, Jeff and Phil share their game plan for a $5 million net worth. The first piece of advice is to get your real estate license even if you decide to work somewhere else (not selling houses). You'll learn about real estate and real estate investing. Your license will help you to buy houses as it helps you reduce the capital needed to purchase. Listen in as Jeff and Phil share ways you can earn more cash today, so you can save for a down payment and ultimately begin your path to a $5 million net worth. Know someone who's had bad luck with their investments?

Ramon Casaus is the founder of ROC Real Estate Partners, a nationwide real estate sales network headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also a Real Estate Sales Coach at The Agentcy by Tarek El Moussa, the visionary behind the Battle Tested Lifestyles Brand, and author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller “No Permission Needed”.  Ramon started his journey with a 3-member team and within two years built it up to over 60 agents. In this episode, he shares the mistakes he made early in the business, ways you can achieve financial independence, and his leadership approach to running a team. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

In this episode, Jeff and Phil share the Agent Truth game plan that shows you how to get out (of real estate) when you get in. Agent Truth is a website the Sibbach Team launched to share real estate coaching with the world. What Jeff and Phil have done to build their team and their net worth is now shared publicly with anyone who wants to learn from them in either getting into or out of the real estate industry. Listen in as Jeff and Phil share why investing in real estate can help you create both wealth and offer you a solution for getting out of real estate.  ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Are you curious about selling luxury real estate? Joining us today is guest Michael Banovac, Managing Partner at RMB Luxury Real Estate. In the podcast, Michael shares his experience building and designing luxury homes, how the luxury market sets trends in real estate and interior design and the technology seen in luxury homes. Michael has been featured in several local and national media outlets such as CNN, TIME, Fortune, Yahoo Finance, and The Street. He served as a 2017 Tour Director, the 2020 Co-Chair, and the 2021 Chair of the Paradise Valley Luxury Home Tour. Michael is partners with Tarek El Moussa (the star of HGTV'S Flip or Flop & Flipping 101) and from 2012-2022 has acquired, built, remodeled, and/or sold over 175 homes with a value in excess of $175,000,000. Michael states, “It's difficult to earn your way to becoming a millionaire, it's a lot easier to invest your way to becoming a millionaire. How you do this is through safe leverage, and the only safe leverage is real estate.”Listen in and be sure to join us Monday during our Live Q&A!

Joining us today is St. Louis ICON agent, https://christinaswyers.com/ (Christina Swyers.) Christina has 85 producing partner agents across 10 states and Mexico and is a social media influencer, and “digital mayor” of her town. In this episode, Christina not only talks about how she grew her social media following organically to over 13,000 followers, but she also shares her experience with blockchain and cryptocurrency in real estate. With three active listings on the blockchain, she explains how using blockchain technology can speed up transactions and give more transparency to the real estate industry.

With only 36.7% of women making up the commercial real estate sector, one woman, in particular, stands out. Joining us today is the 2022 winner of https://www.globest.com/2022/04/20/honoring-cres-women-of-influence/ (Globe Street's Woman of Influence) for Commercial Real Estate, Stephanie Gilezan. Stephanie began her real estate career at just 21 years old and a couple of years later was recognized as a Top 30 Under 30 agent by the National Association of Realtors. She owns and operates a commercial real estate team in the top 5% of producers in Kentucky and Indiana and is the Director of Growth at eXp Commercial. As a woman of influence, Stephanie shares her humble beginnings and what ultimately drove her to join eXp Commercial. Listen in to the full podcast to hear her story and learn why eXp is the fastest-growing commercial brokerage.

Welcome to season 6 of The Solution, a Real Estate Podcast sponsored by Agent Truth, where agents go to grow. We're kicking off this new season with a brand new format: 1️⃣ Every Wednesday a new Podcast episode is released. 2️⃣ Every Monday at 1 pm PST we're hosting a live Q&A as a follow-up to the podcast episode. Kickstarting this new season is Kati Spaniak, team leader of the Spaniak Team in Northbrook, Illinois. Kati sold over $38 million in volume in her first three years in the business and over $300 million in just ten years. She was awarded the 2021 ICON Instructor of the year at eXp Realty for excelling at coaching and training thousands of agents during the year. In addition, Kati serves on the board of her local real estate association and will be president of the North Shore Barrington Association of Realtors for the 2022-23 year. In this episode, Kati shares her blueprint for starting a real estate team. She explains the mindset shift she had when she hired her first staff member, how she determined who to hire, and the tasks they were given. Listen in and be sure to check out Kati's book, “How to Build a Rockstar Team Without Going Crazy”, when it hits bookstands in July.

Joining us today and wrapping up this series on the Real Estate Secrets (that no one tells you) is guest Mauricio Lacerda. In Mauricio's first 4 months as an agent he sold 12 houses and in his first full year, he did 47 deals for $14M. In his second year as an agent (2022 YTD), he's closed 36 deals for $12M. In case you missed the previous 8 secrets, they are: 1 - Having a database (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmir3QK_W3M&t=3s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmir3QK_W3M&t=3s)) 2 - Join a team (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMm0szDts4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMm0szDts4)) 3 - Have market knowledge & 4 - Use a buyer booklet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZPpjxb-p80 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZPpjxb-p80)) 5 - Be assertive & 6 - Understand your contracts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eeAVl1e-zg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eeAVl1e-zg)) 7 - Knowing when you need help & 8 - Pick up the phone! (https://youtu.be/Ow-nfWgFYTc (https://youtu.be/Ow-nfWgFYTc)) Mauricio shares the final two secrets about real estate, starting first with knowing your numbers and tracking your stats as detailed and granular as possible. If you're not tracking where you are in each pipeline stage, you're not able to gauge what's working (and what's not working). There is no hiding from your numbers. When Mauricio started keeping track of his numbers, he knew exactly how many appointments he needed each week in order to meet his goal of putting one deal under contract a week. By tracking, you know exactly where the hole in the boat is. The final secret about real estate Mauricio shared is understanding the pipeline events that need to happen to get you from a new lead to under contract. Control the flow of information. In doing so, he realized the importance of getting the appointment first and foremost. He stopped having lengthy conversations before meeting with leads, saving his questions and building rapport until after he met with them. Listen in to the full episode as Mauricio shares the leading indicators he tracks, how he tracks his data, and the number one thing he did to increase his number of appointments which was the contributing factor to his success. He also shares the mistakes he made in getting appointments, and how he adjusted the strategies that helped him close more deals. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Joining us today is guest Cami Beckley, past president of the Phoenix Association of Realtors. She's sold over 3,000 houses during her real estate career and today she's sharing two of her real estate secrets that no one tells you. In case you missed the previous 6 secrets, they are: 1 - Having a database (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmir3QK_W3M&t=3s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmir3QK_W3M&t=3s)) 2 - Join a team (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMm0szDts4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMm0szDts4)) 3 - Have market knowledge & 4 - Use a buyer booklet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZPpjxb-p80 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZPpjxb-p80)) 5 - Be assertive & 6 - Understand your contracts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eeAVl1e-zg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eeAVl1e-zg)) Cami's first secret is knowing when you need help. You can only do so many deals before it's time to hire a licensed assistant to help you. The key to growing your real estate business is outsourcing and this is where a lot of agents struggle.  Cami recommends once you start doing 15-20 transactions a year, it's time to let go and delegate the lower dollar activities to someone else. When you thoroughly train an assistant, they can help free up valuable time from your schedule. This allows you to cultivate new clients, preview more homes, and sell more houses. The second Realtor secret Cami shared is having the courage to pick up the phone to make (and answer) calls. This was a mindset shift for her which included pep talks (to herself) and preparing for the call by mapping out what she wanted to say. Listen in as Cami shares where to find a licensed assistant, the responsibilities she gives to her assistant, and how to overcome client insecurities when working with an assistant. She also goes into detail about how she hypes herself up when calling leads. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

In today's podcast, guest Jennifer Hoyle shares two real estate secrets that no one tells you. These secrets would have helped her perform better when she was just getting started and today she's sharing them with you. Jennifer's first secret is to be assertive. She learned early on that in order to win, she needed to be more assertive, while maintaining tact. She realized this required a mindset shift as she was getting in the way of herself. This shows up in real estate by not hesitating to follow up with a lead not once or twice but multiple times.  Jennifer also learned that she needed to add variety to her follow-up beyond calling. This includes texting and sending photos to stay in front of her leads and to show her market expertise. Jennifer's second real estate secret is to understand your contracts. When you know the contracts you're working with you automatically build your confidence in working with buyers. Listen in as Jennifer explains more about how these secrets have helped grow her business and her faith and abilities in herself. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Last week we shared the second real estate secret (that no one tells you) and today we're bringing you two more secrets. Joining us today is 13-year real estate vet Ilene McKenna. Ilene is not only a part of the Sibbach Team, but she also leads the team's internal new agent training program. At any given time, Ilene mentors and trains roughly 20 real estate agents. Ilene says the one thing that helped propel her real estate business was by having market knowledge. Market knowledge means knowing your local neighborhoods, including HOA rules. You know about school parks, community pools, shopping in the area, etc. If you have a buyer coming in from out of state, you have to have a solid understanding of the local market. As a Realtor, it's your job to know more than the consumer. The second real estate secret is having (and using) a buyer booklet. A buyer book is a folder that includes graphs and charts of active listings, and the average price of homes sold. It shows key factors on what's happening in the market such as supply and demand. When you have both market knowledge and provide a buyer booklet, you are showing your credibility. You've become the expert your clients are looking to work with. Listen to the full episode as Ilene shares how to gain market knowledge and shares details on all the charts and data used in a buyer booklet. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Last week we shared the first real estate secret (that no one tells you) and today we're bringing you the second secret… join a team. Back with us is special guest Shawna Boughman. Shawna states she wouldn't get the same level of training and education as a solo agent as she receives from being part of a team. Instead of reading from ~15 different sources, Shawna gets current industry statistics, news, and trends by way of her weekly team meeting. This saves her time doing the research on her own. Being a part of a team and attending team meetings provides her with sales training, and charts and graphs on supply/demand. Shawna goes on to say the level of detail and support she gets helps her provide better, more relevant, and specific information to buyers and sellers. Being part of a team also provides accountability. When you're a solo agent you're working alone with no one to hold you accountable for your goals. Some teams even offer challenges and competitions to encourage their agents while making the work fun. Another benefit of being part of a team is the leads they provide. This can be especially helpful when you're just getting started or if you don't have a large sphere of influence. Listen in as Shawna shares her frustrations as a solo agent and how being part of a team propelled her real estate business. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

If you're brand new to real estate, you probably have a lot of thoughts about how your career is going to go. You hear about all the fame and glory, but rarely do you hear the honest truth about what it's really like to work in real estate. In this new series, we'll be sharing the top 10 real estate secrets that no one tells you. Kicking off this new series is guest Shawna Boughman. Shawna has been a licensed real estate agent for over 13 years and was a custom home builder for 5 years prior to getting into real estate. Shawna and her husband Tim do over $10M-$15M a year and serve as Sr. Partners on the https://www.sibbach.com/ (Sibbach Team.) So, what's the number one real estate secret that no one tells you? Shawna says it's not building your database. You are probably overwhelmed with juggling showings, submitting offers, and answering client questions. However, if you don't put the time into building your database, how are you going to know who to market to? Your database is one of the most important assets you can have as a real estate agent. It acts as a central point for engaging leads, past clients, and your sphere. If you don't have a way of keeping in touch and engaging with them, they will likely forget about you and will go elsewhere. Listen in as Shawna shares a simple strategy for building your database and three reasons why having a database is imperative to your real estate success. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Looking to kick off your real estate career? Or maybe you've been licensed for a while and want to grow your real estate business? Today we're wrapping up our series on the top 5 most important things you should do to have a successful real estate career. Here's a recap from our previous four episodes: Have a mentor

Welcome back to part four of our five-part series on how to kick-off (or grow) your real estate business. This episode is for you if you're a brand new agent, agents coming off a tough year, or if you relocated from a different market. Back with us is guest Kimberly Childs. Kimberly became a Real Estate Agent in 2015 upon her transition from the active Army and is a Certified Military Residential Specialist servicing veterans across Maricopa County. She shares how (and why) she transitioned into real estate. Continuing from the last three episodes, the 4th most important thing you need to do to kickstart your real estate career is to “drink the Koolaid”. This means when a mentor or fellow team member informs you about something that works (or worked) for them, you need to give it a try at least once.  Even if your business is thriving, there's always room to grow more. The market changes or new strategies are developed, so it's important to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Listen in as Kimberly shares a story on how she stopped making excuses in her business as she tried a new marketing strategy that resulted in 4 referrals. All from thanking her clients with a Thanksgiving pie! Be sure to join us next week as we share the last strategy to help you kick off your real estate career. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Welcome back to part three of our five-part series on how to kick off (or grow) your real estate business. This episode is for you if you're a brand new agent, agents coming off a tough year, or if you relocated from a different market. If you missed the last two episodes, catch up here: Part 1 → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx8exYXpElo&t=0s (New Real Estate Agents: How to Kick Off Your Career (Part 1)) Part 2 → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0iij7mp1q0&t=1s (New Real Estate Agents: How to Kick Off Your Career (Part 2)) Today's guest is Kimberly Childs. Kimberly became a Real Estate Agent in 2015 upon her transition from the active Army and is a Certified Military Residential Specialist servicing veterans across Maricopa County. She shares how (and why) she transitioned into real estate. Kimberly discusses the pivotal point early in her career when she realized she needed additional support. She was getting overwhelmed, thinking she could do it all herself, working 14 hour days that never ended. Continuing from the last two episodes, the 3rd most important thing you need to have to kickstart your real estate career is “precrastinator”. Wait, what?! Yes, a PREcrastinator (not a procrastinator). Precrastinating is the act of charging forward with the quickest action. You don't hesitate, you just do it. Listen in as Kimberly gives examples of precrastinating and how it's helped her boost her business. Be sure to join us next week as we share another strategy to help you kick off your real estate career. ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Welcome back to part two of our five-part series on how to kick-off (or grow) your real estate business. Back with us is special guest, Elite Agent Sharon Wisniewski, a 17-year Real Estate veteran on the Sibbach Team at eXp Realty. Did you miss last week's episode where we share the number one thing you can do to kick off your career in real estate? Catch up here

Today we have a special guest, Elite Agent Sharon Wisniewski, a 17-year Real Estate veteran on the https://www.sibbach.com/ (Sibbach Team at eXp Realty.) This episode is for you if… You are looking to get into the business. You are burnt out with your current job. You're an agent that's been in business less than a year. To start this series, we're talking about the number one thing to do in 2022 to have your best year ever. The most important thing for new agents to be successful in 2022 is to get a good mentor that's in the business. The characteristics of a good mentor are… Experienced and knowledgeable (such as knowing all about the local market). They should be able to answer any question you might have about real estate. They have a local brand with a strong internet presence (such as Google reviews). Supportive, reliable, and available when needed.  Provides leads. Be sure to join us next week as we share another strategy to help you kick off your real estate career.

Welcome back to part 2 of the 2 part series, how to convert your sphere of influence into business. https://youtu.be/SPoSNEWYTNA (Last week we covered what a sphere of influence is) and how to keep track of them. Today we'll be covering communications and methods of delivery to your sphere of influence. It's never too early to start building your reputation with the people you know. Oftentimes new agents focus on trying to build relationships with people they don't know (leads). However, it's much easier to build rapport with the people that already know you.  You don't need to be in constant contact with your sphere. Consider touching bases twice a quarter or eight times a year. The goal is to stay top of mind. The best way to keep in front of your sphere is to talk to them. If you're struggling with what to talk to them about, think about FORD: F = Family: How is the family? O = Occupation: How is business? How is work? R = Recreation: Do you have anything planned for spring break? Are you going on any trips this summer? D = Dreams: This question may be tied to family, or what's next in their life (what does the future hold). The second part to communicating with your sphere of influence will take you beyond the phone. It's important to know and try all of the methods of communication such as texting, email, mail, face-to-face, and even social media messaging including engaging with others (commenting on social media posts). Then find the one method your sphere prefers. When you reach out to your sphere using the different methods, pay attention to how they respond. Are they rejecting you or do they simply not use that communication method? Meet them where they're at and cater to their preferred form of talking to you. https://youtu.be/SPoSNEWYTNA (During the last episode), we discussed keeping track of your sphere of influence. You might want to add a column to your Google Sheet or Excel document to take note of your sphere's preferred, best, fastest, or most effective communication method. Everyone is striving to be a "magnet" to business, trying to attract others to them in order to do business. What we've hinted at over this podcast and the last is that you describing what you do, and how you do it differently, is what determines whether people are going to ask you questions about real estate or not. If all you want to do is be general, such as saying you just got your real estate license, you're not likely going to get a conversation going.  However, if you're out seeing houses every week, you're actively studying the market, or you know exactly how many houses are for sale in your neighborhood, and you integrate this into the conversations you have with people, then that immediately sets you apart from other agents who are talking generically about real estate. It doesn't take years to develop, it simply takes discipline.  ============ ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

This podcast episode is for you if… You are wanting to get more business from the people you know.  You're wondering why the people you know that are buying or selling real estate are not talking to you or asking you any questions. You just moved to a new town and you don't know where to start to create a sphere of influence. You work at a job you can't stand anymore and you're ready to work for yourself. You've been thinking about getting into real estate and you're wondering how it works. You're going through classes to get your real estate license but you don't know how you're going to transition from learning about real estate to growing your bank account. You have a job, but you want to make more cash on the side and are looking for a side hustle. In this 2-part series, we'll define what a sphere of influence is and how to track, communicate, and grow your sphere of influence. Here is your real estate marketing plan to convert your sphere of influence business: How to Define Your Sphere of Influence Your sphere of influence is the people you know. Who you go out to dinner with, watch or play sports with, or go to church with. It could even be an acquaintance such as a friend of the family, your hairdresser/barber, or the barista at the coffee shop you frequent. Even consider agents out of town who may be visiting that you can get referral business from. With your sphere of influence, even if the person doesn't want to talk to you you're already halfway there from where you were being unknown on both sides. So where do you start? Look at the list of people you send a holiday or birthday card to, or the people in your (or even your kids) yearbook. Consider your neighbor or even someone you see at the dog park on a regular basis. We help influence real estate agents' businesses to grow. We've taken one agent from $2.7M in production after being in real estate for 10 years to over $30M. We even had an agent on our team that was brand new to real estate who followed these practices and the coaching we offer and ended up selling over 48 houses in their first year. The Simplest Way to Track Your Sphere of Influence Agents create hurdles or roadblocks by not doing things they need to do. The reality is you need a little bit of success first before you believe something. To help you overcome that block, start simple, such as using Excel or Google Sheets to track your sphere of influence. Most people think their cell phone is the best way to track their contacts. However, it doesn't allow you to extend or remember conversations. When you're first getting started in real estate, there's no need to spend money on a CRM right away. Take baby steps and start easy with something that won't intimidate you. Once you've built a list in Excel or Google Docs, and you start seeing success, you can then import it into a more complex CRM. Join us next week as we talk about communications and methods of delivery to your sphere of influence. ============   ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

In today's podcast, we have special guest Elise Fay joining us. Elise has been a REALTOR® since 2003 and is a member of the Sibbach Team (learn more about the team

This new season is about going back to basics and helping agents improve to deliver a better experience for the consumer. In today's podcast, we have special guest Cami Beckley joining us. Cami has been a REALTOR® since 1989 and is a member of the Sibbach Team (learn more about the team

We have a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!  Today marks the evolution of our podcast. It's the conclusion of season 4 as we transition from LEOPARD - Real Estate Agents for Consumers, a cross-brokerage movement that's raising the level of service in the real estate industry (learn more about LEOPARD

Today's episode is a bigger examination of why agents join eXp. Two weeks ago eXp celebrated 67,000 agents and within two weeks that increased to 69,000. That's a growth of 1000 agents a week. So why exactly are agents joining eXp? In this episode, Jeff and Phil discuss eXp's broker model, their stock and revenue share program, and how you can retire with eXp. The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast sponsored by Agent Truth. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about Agent Truth

How do Realtor tours exist in today's market? Let's face it, Realtor tours need improvement. They're behind the times and not integrated into the MLS system. We want to know, are you in a city that does Realtor tours successfully? If so, let us know

After two weeks of conferences and presenting on stage at both Inman and eXpCon, we learned this topic was one that people were lining up at the door to hear! We implemented this listing process to not only help the consumer but to also make it easier for them. When you have a process, you are then able to not only scale your business but provide a consistent level of service to your clientele. Listen in as Jeff and Phil break down the step-by-step listing process from lead to close including: Pre-MLS Coming Soon Active Under Contract The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast by LEOPARD - Real Estate Agents for Consumers. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about Real Estate Agents for Consumers

Las Vegas was host to the largest cross-brokerage residential real estate conference, Inman Connect. This was the first major conference post-COVID and it was interesting to listen and learn. It feels like more change is coming, at a faster rate, than it has in years past. We're sharing our top five takeaways from Inman Connect 2021: Starting with the bottom of the list at number 5: The most common question we heard was “What is LEOPARD?”. Word is getting out nationally and we're making waves. (Learn more about LEOPARD here

Last week we had special guest Mark Pattison, team lead of PorchLight Realty in San Diego, on the podcast. He went from 24 to 800 transactions in a 6-year span and in this episode, he'll share exactly how he did it. Three things you'll learn from this episode: Number 1: How having systems and processes in place ensures a smooth, and consistent agent onboarding process. From the new agent interview to graduation from PorchLight University, he breaks down his exact process in finding (and keeping) agents. Number 2: The importance of setting new agent expectations for production and agent accountability. Number 3: How leveraging and empowering your team and using the right tools will help your business grow. Mark's Bio: Mark Pattison is the founder and owner of https://www.porchlightsocal.com/ (PorchLight Realty Team) brokered by eXp Realty. His team has closed 2,000+ transactions and a billion dollars in volume and ranks among the top teams in San Diego County. Reputations are not made overnight, they are cultivated over time and Mark has carefully hand-selected his servicing team that supports his efforts to give the best experience to his clients. With over 800+ 5 star reviews on Zillow, Mark is constantly striving to empower others around him. To find out more about Mark, visit: https://www.instagram.com/markpattisonshow/ (https://www.instagram.com/markpattisonshow/) https://www.instagram.com/porchlightrealtyteam/ (https://www.instagram.com/porchlightrealtyteam/) The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast sponsored by LEOPARD. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about Real Estate Agents for Consumers

Teams are just a group of agents so why are they such a controversial entity? No two teams run the same just like not every brokerage is set up for teams. Some say teams are a parasite to brokerages because they want everything for nothing (office space, lower cap, personal transaction coordinator, etc.). What you don't realize is how much teams spend on marketing to the consumer (with the broker's brand). Whereas brokerages market to other agents. Real estate school teaches agents textbook material. You learn the legal side of being an agent. What you don't learn are sales and marketing strategies and tactics. You simply earn your license and are left to fend for yourself with no understanding of how to run a business. This is where teams come in. Teams offer structured support as well as coaching to help agents develop their skills as they get hands-on experience. Listen to the full podcast to hear Jeff and Phil discuss their observations and what it was like forming their team. The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast by LEOPARD - Real Estate Agents for Consumers. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about the Real Estate Agents for Consumers

How can we stay competitive moving forward in a progressive world? In today's podcast, we're introducing the topic of generating passive income while staying at your brokerage. With major players such as Zillow, OpenDoor, and Redfin offering mortgage and title services, it's time real estate brokers and agents start to think about ways to offer vertically integrated services. In order to stay competitive, we need to think of ways to bundle and save for the consumer. Here are three basic steps to creating passive revenue streams while staying at your brokerage: Review your Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) Talk with a RESPA attorney (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) Get a license(s) for the services you want to offer (such as mortgage) Listen in to hear the full details on how to generate passive income without leaving your brokerage and https://the-solution-podcast.captivate.fm/listen (be sure to subscribe) so you don't miss an episode! The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast by LEOPARD - Real Estate Agents for Consumers. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about the Real Estate Agents for Consumers

After you sell a home, how do you stay connected with your past clients? Do you have a process for keeping in touch with them? Today's podcast is with special guest Sean Carpenter. https://www.carpscorner.net/sean-speaks/ (Sean Carpenter) is the former Director of Training and Development for NRT Ohio who has been a licensed Realtor with Coldwell Banker King Thompson since 1998. Sean led a successful career in real estate prior to becoming a branch manager in 2003. He loved the training and coaching part of the job and was elevated to the Agent Development role in 2005. During the 11 years in that role, he was the co-creator of the company's highly regarded Pro Start Academy, and also developed programs such as the Elevation Workshops, Boost Your Business sessions, B.A.S.I.C Training workshops, and co-created the Success Track Coaching Program. Sean has been recognized as one of Inman News 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate (2013), he's been one of the Swanepoel's Top 20 Most Influential Social Media Voices in Real Estate since 2016 and was recently added to http://blog.homespotter.com/2016/10/19/real-estate-influencers/ (Homespotter's Top 100 List) and Contactually's http://blog.contactually.com/2016/10/10-real-estate-influencers-to-have-on-your-radar/ (10 Influencers to Have on Your Radar). Sean says real estate is about three things: building relationships, solving problems, and having fun. This week's podcast is sure to inspire, motivate, and encourage you no matter where you are in your real estate career. Sean shares his wisdom and expertise on ways to create better relationships with your sphere of influence. Listen in to learn why September 30th is like New Year's Eve, how to earn trust from your clients, and what the 4H club is all about. This is an episode you'll want to take notes on because it's packed full of tips that you can implement in as little as 45 minutes a day. The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast sponsored by LEOPARD. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about the Real Estate Agents for Consumers

RateMyAgent Executive VP Bill Risser joins Jeff and Phil in this episode of The Solution to discuss why REALTOR® feedback is so important, how to use feedback, and why negative feedback is actually a good thing. Listen to the full episode to listen to the full conversation in front of our live studio audience. The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast sponsored by LEOPARD. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams

Arizona is a Zillow Flex marketplace where they have chosen teams to send their connections to. In today's podcast, we're sharing what Zillow has taught us about lead conversion as a Flex Premier Agent. These are lead conversion strategies we wouldn't have otherwise learned. Zillow tracks stats within their CRM such as call pickup rates, appointments, and conversion rates. They then get paid 35% on every deal we close (the first two deals only). In the Flex program, it's all performance-based. The better you do and the more you convert, the more leads they dish out to you. These Zillow lead conversion strategies are to help you be more focused and to close more deals. Listen to the full podcast for an explanation of each lesson. Lesson 1: Try harder to talk to the leads. Lesson 2: Urgency for the appointment.  Lesson 3: More than 50% of the leads you talk to think you are the listing agent. Lesson 4: Mindset.  Lesson 5: Talk less.  Lesson 6: Property-level leads are where you should spend all of your time.  Lesson 7: if you're not free in the next 3 hours, the lead is gone.  Lesson 8: Survey every single one of your clients. The business of sales and marketing isn't about being unique 100% of the time. Sometimes it's about benchmarking, and taking what you learn from other successful models and implementing it into your business practices. Zillow is good at sales. When they got into the Flex program (referral fee model), their business is to help us agents get better at lead conversion. Take note of how much attention Zillow puts on us when it comes to what we're doing with their leads and then apply that same level of attention to our other lead sources when you've given them to other team members. Listen to the full episode to learn more and hear from the live audience. The Solution is a Real Estate Podcast sponsored by LEOPARD. Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams

While demand has come off the peak, we still don't anticipate seeing a dramatic increase in supply anytime soon. So how exactly do you get your offers accepted in a low supply environment? In today's podcast, Jeff and Phil share five strategies you can use to win when inventory is low. Key #1 to getting your offer accepted is agent-to-agent communication. Your communication with the listing agent is the most important thing you can do to get an offer accepted. This is tougher with teams as you may not know the right person on the team that manages offers for the client. It's important to sell your client and the ability of your client to close on the property. One thing to note is that your credibility comes into factor here. If you're new and haven't sold many houses, you may not have any (credibility). The other agent is going to be sizing you up as they form an opinion of you and your expertise. The offers we're seeing get accepted are when agents communicate early and often. This is why it's important to build rapport with the listing agent pre-sale. Be respectful with their time, when you communicate, have your questions ready. Key #2: Be sure it's received. Make sure your offer is actually received by the person negotiating the offer. Key #3: Make sure your offer is competitive. It's hard to know what competitive is. Sometimes no feedback is feedback. It could mean you weren't aggressive enough. The agent usually cares about “is this deal going to happen?”. Your offer has to be substantially over the others. Number four on the list of ways to get your offers accepted in a low supply market ties in with number 3. If you don't execute all of the other strategies above, #4 doesn't matter. Key #4: Terms of the deal. Contingencies in the contract include title, HOA, inspection, appraisal, CCNR, SPDS, financing, and leaseback. These are all contingencies that can be waived. When the buyer wants out, you can use any of these contingencies. We have a buyer's agent that's representing a buy. The agent presented the buyer advisory. The buyer went home and looked up the sex preditor's list in their area. They submitted the inspection but they happen to be in an HOA that got documents out early (which isn't always the case).  The buyers' inspection notice was submitted leaving financing, but this was a cash deal. We signed the SPDS and our buyer waived the appraisal. Then they found out after the inspection period ended (because they submitted the BINSR) there was a sexual predator in their neighborhood and they wanted out. We were looking for ways to get out with the buyer, going through each of the contingencies. That's why this is a way to get your offer accepted. You need to get your client to eliminate as many of the contingencies as possible so that you give certainty to the seller that you're going to close. The strongest way to win is to offer your earnest money hard, at acceptance, for whatever your client can allow (even if just a portion). We don't see many deals where they're waiving the earnest money upfront. This shows certainty that you're not going to cancel. Higher earnest money influences sellers. Most buyers don't lose their earnest money because the contracts are written in favor of the buyer. There are so many ways to get out that it's rare it gets lost. It's our job as quality agents, that the higher number influences sellers. If you have higher earnest money, it does make you look stronger, even if you have 4 or 5 contingencies. The final key for getting your offers accepted in a low supply market is educating the consumer pre-offer. The first time you ever meet a client (at the very first meeting) is when you need to educate the buyer. This is understanding what the buyer is using for their sources of information, and whether those sources are credible or not. This might be asking the buyer, “where do you get your information on the market”? You need to dig and find out how they got to...

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Today, we're going to talk about an industry conference in Miami. It was a real estate summit hosted by Grant Cardone.  If you're not familiar with Grant, he authored "The 10X Rule", "Sell or Be Sold", and "If You're Not First, You're Last". He's a sales trainer, renowned speaker, international social media influencer, and real estate mogul. Phil breaks down his experience attending the conference with over 1000 others. So if you're wondering if Grant Cardone's 10X Summit is worth it, check out these top takeaways: When you are in front of your client, have a LOT of energy. Care about your health so you're on point with selling. Make sure you have enough time with your clients. Repeat. For you to digest something that's new to you, you have to hear it over and over. Grant did this repeatedly in various ways. Don't expect to fully understand Grant's philosophies the first time. Use positive cash flow when you're investing. Leverage your debt (rule of thumb is 1:4 ratio / 25% down). Grant said “outsiders move markets” aka locals don't like things to change. The takeaway here is to think more like an outsider. “Win the deal first”. When a big listing agent lists a $165M apartment complex and you call them, YOU have to be excited. You have to do whatever it takes to win the deal. Once you're in the deal, then you negotiate. Grant scheduled time for a lot of Q&A's. When you think about your leads, how many times do you reach out to them? Marketing is not a one-time event. We don't try hard enough to connect with leads. Be patient and still keep trying. If you don't hear from a lead after trying to make the connection, don't give up, keep trying to reach them. Would we go back? Buy another ticket? Listen in to hear Phil's response. If you've heard about the 10X Real Estate Summit and have been on the fence about attending, listen to the full episode to hear more takeaways and to get an insider's perspective. More about the Sibbach Team

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. We're slowly coming out of a market where we've seen euphoria pricing, knowing every house was going to sell regardless of its condition, and overall selling was easy. With the market leveling off and more homes available, we now have to pitch the expertise that we bring to the table. With the changes happening, your listing strategies will also need to adjust. In this week's podcast, Jeff and Phil share 5 listing strategies. Listing Strategy 1 Do more open houses. We saw a decline in open houses as properties weren't on the market for more than a day (if that). With the shift in the market, you may have to do 1 or 2 open houses to find a buyer. Listing Strategy 2 Limit showings until the open house. Go live on the MLS on Monday to leverage the full benefit of MLS, as well as syndication to all online marketing platforms. Then schedule an open house on Saturday (and/or Sunday), with no showings until then. You'll be consolidating demand to 1-2 days. Listing Strategy 3 Educate sellers why it's a bad idea to list at their euphoria price. If you can't win the argument, set timeframes in place in case the property doesn't sell at the seller's euphoria price. Listing Strategy 4 Stay aggressive in a neighborhood as you can reemerge and take over as a local area expert. This is a long-term benefit that will be effective for you as you continue to grow your sphere. Listing Strategy 5 Restrict the number of photos to make the neighbors see the house. This means your open house will be busier with more traffic. Listen to the full episode to learn more and hear from the live audience. More about the Sibbach Team

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Do you feel real estate needs saving?  In today's podcast, Jeff and Phil discuss how employee agents can save real estate. Listen in as they discuss what an employee agent is, how the model benefits the employee agent, and how you can build a more profitable leads division if you had employee agents help manage the process. More about the Sibbach Team

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. In today's episode, Jeff and Phil discuss when the housing shift will begin as inventory slowly increases. Listen in as they look at key indicators in the Arizona market and chime in on when they think the shift will happen. More about the Sibbach Team

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. https://realestateleopard.com/why-property-level-leads-convert-faster/ (Last week) we talked about how LEOPARD members can get leads off of your listings and how you can get them FEE-less. We're following up on the discussion with the most common objections you're going to hear about property-level leads and how to handle them. Property-level leads are inquiring about a specific property and are often times standing outside the property or attending an open house. They are not responding to direct mail or an ad but may have found the property via internet marketing platforms such as Zillow or Realtor.com. Catch the podcast to hear the top 3 objections and take note as they share some great scripts on handling objections. They even did some role-playing with their live studio audience so listen first-hand to how they maneuvered around difficult conversations with leads. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/)  #realestateteam #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #realestatetips #realestatecoaching #coaching

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Today's podcast is on why property-level leads convert faster and at a higher percentage. Jeff and Phil discuss what a property-level lead is, the different types of leads, and ways to generate more property-level leads. They also share a new strategy they'll be using to exclude properties from syndication after the house goes under contract. You won't want to miss this strategy-packed episode with nuggets of pure gold! Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/) #realestateteam #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #realestatetips #realestatecoaching #coaching

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Today's podcast is all about standards in the Real Estate industry. What we learned in talking to Elite Agents and Teams across the nation is that there's little attention to what's going on in the industry. That's why WE are standing up to keep you abreast of what's affecting our industry. Today's podcast is about letting our audience know that we care about new rules in the industry and being at the table when decisions are being made. Standard #1: Elite Level Performance We believe that agents that do business should be held at a higher level than those that don't.  In order for agents to be a member of LEOPARD, you must have 10 listings or 20 transactions with 5 listings a year (not a month, a YEAR). This helps differentiate between agents that are doing business with experience and those who are brand new. Standard # 2: Verified Team Certification What IS a team? Don't you think that in order for a team to be recognized there has to be some level of standards that a team has so that they can be certified? Teams are taking over but there's a “wild west” of what makes a team a team. The idea of a team is to improve the level of customer service and be a specialist to clients, not to make the team leader more money. Standard #3: Customer Service Reviews Have you seen an association or a brokerage or a team survey every client and publish the results publicly? Why not? You need to maintain a Net Promoter Score which is a single survey question asking on a scale of 1-10 how likely are you to refer us to your friends or family. You ask EVERY client after a closing to get your score and then you calculate your yearly average. If you opt-in to allow every single one of your transactions to be surveyed, then you'll meet the standard as long as your average is above 9. Standard #4: Client-First Transparency It's time to break down the walls that hide listing agents, commissions, disclosures, inspections, and offers. And why are ethics complaints hidden from the public? This standard will have a public display of ethics complaints. We all know we need more transparency. https://realestateleopard.com/join/ (As a member of LEOPARD), you'll get access to a free tool where you'll be able to upload a SPUDS. When someone comes to the house and makes an offer they can review the SPUDS and see what other offers were made on the property. Standard #5: Bar Raised Apprenticeship and Ethics Let's implement a side-by-side apprenticeship model instead of having new agents fail forward. Stepping up on the level that agents need to be trained when they come into this business. In the apprenticeship program, they'll work side-by-side with a seasoned agent for 2 years or 24 deals. This standard focuses on the quality of a new agent, rather than the quantity. When you raise the standards, you raise the performance. Listen in for the full audience conversation and let us know what standard resonates with you the most. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/) #realestate #realestatetips #coaching #realestatecoaching #realtor #realestateagent

Welcome to the Solution - a Real Estate Podcast where Jeff Sibbach and Phil Sexton share what they see happening in the industry, ways to put the consumer first, and how we can collectively change the industry for the better. Today's podcast is about who's making money off of your listing photos. Who is the one profiting when WE pay for them?  WE are paying for photos for someone else. This ties into last week's episode where we mentioned someone is bringing a fork to a potluck while everyone else is bringing a dish. What got us here was Inman's article “https://www.inman.com/2021/04/23/americas-appetite-for-sex-zillow-in-dead-heat-survey/ (America's appetite for sex, Zillow in a dead heat)”. Inman surveyed 1000 people and featured several statistics. The juiciest one stated, “the preference for Zillow scrolling vs. sex was largely split by respondents with 49% indicating a preference for browsing Zillow and 51% showing a preference for sex”. What does this mean? The reality is that we're feeding the fantasy of others but they don't come to our own personal websites. Individually our photos that we take aren't as valuable as they are as a collection. The aggregation of ALL of our photos has substantially more value. Do more photos help you sell the house? No. This is a fallacy that more photos help you sell a house. Realtor.com said listings with more than 10 photos sell for ~7% more than those with less than 10 photos. They're simply extrapolating a data point that supported their argument and using it how they want. The Elite Agents actually sell the houses for more money and because they're the ones that include a lot of photos, it distorts the stats. When we look at comps, the house with cell phone photos never sells for the highest amount. There are other factors that lead to houses selling for more so it isn't a relatable statistic. If you read Zillow's public announcement for the 1st quarter, their views have increased by 17%. This is all about us buying leads off the internet because they're converting those people into leads. There are 240 million people searching on the web but only 500,000 buying a house. This is roughly equivalent to converting 5-6 buyers for every house. In the article, 64% of the people surveyed have contacted Zillow for a home they can't afford. They also said people missed work meetings and abandoned plans with friends to browse Zillow listings (“Zillow browsers”). This is smart for Zillow, but WE are the ones paying for the photos. So what can we do? This isn't anti-Zillow. We paid for the photos and we control the photos. We want to be more like Getty Images. Have you ever used a Google photo on your website? You probably got a letter with a hefty fine for illegally using a photo you found doing a Google search. As Michael Wurzer with the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) said, don't just standardize the data but incorporate a licensing agreement with that data. When you have a licensing agreement you can then charge and get paid. If we are the ones paying for the photos, wouldn't it be nice to get compensated for use of those photos? It's as simple as that. What https://realestateleopard.com/ (LEOPARD) is doing is going to the brokers and telling them “hey, those are our photos!”. So what are the action items to stop people from benefitting from using photos they haven't paid for? Some ideas... Go to https://realestateleopard.com/ (realestateleopard.com and pledge to join us). Take professional photos, or take cell phone photos and swap them out after the house goes pending. Add a watermark that blurs out 80% of the image. Should we be leaving up ALL of the photos after the day of close? Instead, why not leave 3-4 photos up in MLS for agents to see, not 50-70 photos that you leave up indefinitely. This happens once a house goes from under contract to pending since you're no longer marketing the house. Once a house closes, it's no longer syndicated. We want OUR

Today's timely discussion is on how agents get paid for adding listings to the MLS. We're on this topic because of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) -- an organization supported and funded by the NAR. Their initiative is to make data standardized across the country and to use one common language. So, the Council of MLS (CMLS) has come out with LEAP.  LEAP is a movement, in a world of MLS's, to advance the language and push all of the people not keeping up with the standards. The people pushing LEAP to standardize the language have not considered adding a license to use the data. They compare MLS's across the country to a town. They're saying there should be a fee for using the “town” - just like a toll. This conversation of getting paid and how it would occur would come from a license. Because LEAP and RESO are voting on standardizing the data, if you're going to put something in front of NAR for a vote, Michael Wurzer with MLS says to not just standardize the data, but to also include licensing contracts for how the data is going to be used. If your business provides back-end tools for lead generation (think Realtor.com) then your fees should be “X”. But are those licensing fees enough? Those fees should make it all the way down to the REALTOR® “in the living room” who's taking the listing. If our data is so valuable that it goes into the MLS and people are paying for the license, how is it not fair that the REALTOR® in the living room that gets the listing doesn't see a portion of this? Think of it another way, you're probably familiar with a potluck where you bring a dish to an event. The ReMax General Counsel said there are two kinds of people. Those that bring the “dish” - the ones using the data to help their existing clients. But now we're letting people who are not bringing dishes, bring a fork. The people with the fork are using it for client acquisition and not client servicing. The agreement didn't distinguish who's bringing the food vs. the fork. They're taking the data without agreement and sending it out. Michael Wurzer's argument is that the data alone (such as your listings) is not valuable. It's the aggregation of the data that leads to the multiple of the value. Right now all the 600 different MLS's all have data they send out with different quirks about them. You need programmers who monitor how the data works to make sure it's all in alignment. The value of standardized national data across the country, that ALL listens to the same rules, explodes. The whole push forward is to advance technological tools. It's too expensive to be in all the MLS's. It makes it cheaper for the vendors. This is why we want to throw our hat in the ring because we see there's someone not being recognized in this fight… teams and elite agents. WE are in the living rooms competing with value and bring that value to our clients. WE are in the trenches having conversations about value. Not the brokers. So WE should be the ones contributing. The reason why we have announced https://realestateleopard.com/ (LEOPARD (National Association of Real Estate Teams)) is that we see the agents that are in the living rooms are ahead of the $17 trillion dollar industry. WE are having meetings with homeowners and WE are putting the data into the system. We believe the elite performers should have a voice on what happens with that data. Collectively we could control 50% of the listing as long as we band together for a voice. We're being ignored because we allow ourselves to be spread out. The brokers are in silos and they make the decisions. We see the MLS data being aggregated together. If the elite agents work together then we have more voice and more change. The point is to rally the base because we need to band together collectively, otherwise, we're not part of the conversation. We're trying to raise the standards so that there's an ACTUAL standard in real estate. Then we won't have to worry as much because people...

If you thought Zillow was taking over, now we're adding CoStar to the list. With the announcement of CoStar buying Homes.com for $156 million, it's clear the real estate industry is shifting. CoStar is a publicly-traded real estate technology firm. They mostly focus on the commercial side of the business and first entered the residential side of the business with Apartments.com going toe-to-toe with Zillow in the rental market. It's speculated that one of the reasons why CoStar is getting into the residential space as they are is because of the flurry of lawsuits coming out about transparency and commissions. CoStar is thinking there may be significant changes with the data so they're positioning themselves in an Agent-friendly way. It's possible that the purchase of Homes.com is to allow the everyday consumer to directly list their homes, to basically “get rid of” Agents. This forces Agents to really step up their game and expressing the worth of Agents. Or maybe the long-term strategy to be a competitor on the MLS? Listen in as Jeff and Phil share their insight as to why CoStar made this move to buy Homes.com and what they think this means to the future of Real Estate and how it could potentially affect what's going to be decided in the next 20-25 years. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/) #realestate #realestatetips #coaching #realestatecoaching #realtor #realestateagent #realestateindustry

In 2013, there were 1 million + agents + 5.5 million houses sold nationally. In 2020, there are now 1.4 million agents and 1.1 million houses sold. This is equivalent to adding one new agent per house sold. How do we solve the problem of a growing number of agents getting licensed with little to no accountability for the quality and training of these agents? In this podcast, Jeff and Phil discussed establishing an apprenticeship program to help solve the problem of a record number of people getting licensed. The audience provided input on what a fair “Realtor Residency” should look like. Listen to the full conversation and let us know what criteria you think should be part of an apprenticeship program. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/) #realestate #realestatetips #coaching #realestatecoaching #realtor #realestateagent

With the latest lawsuit with Compass in California for alleging “inflated” commissions, it's time to get more transparent. In this episode, Jeff and Phil share tips on what you can do to protect your commissions and be more transparent. One key point they addressed is the disclosure of the buyer-broker commission fee via a buyer-broker agreement. With a buyer-broker agreement, this is now a “promise” of the level of service the agent is going to provide. It's raising the voice of elite agents and teams and creating the promise because you KNOW you can deliver. You'll be articulating the services you provide, in writing and setting the expectations so you can also defend your pay. Another opportunity to be more transparent with the consumer and protect your commissions is to create a buyer-agent checklist. This checklist takes a buyer from meeting them the first time to qualifying, to preview, showing, closing, etc. Everything you need to do is on this sheet so nothing is missed. Listen to the full conversation and learn more about ways to protect your commissions. Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/) #realestate #realestatetips #coaching #realestatecoaching #realtor #realestateagent

Is IDX Unethical? by Jeff Sibbach & Phil Sexton Learn more about the National Association of Real Estate Teams: https://realestateleopard.com/ (https://realestateleopard.com/) #realestate #realestatetips #coaching #realestatecoaching #realtor #realestateagent