Some of Arizona’s most Successful Agents call John Hall & Associates home.
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Positive Real Estate News
This morning is a surprisingly positive day in real estate news. It started as a normal morning, woke up turned on the news and computer. The first news story on the TV was about the National Bureau of Economic Research’s report that the recession is over. Of course when I researched it online I found some news stories that talk back about the lack of jobs and the pain that people are still feeling, but at least it’s a necessary step in the right direction.
When I logged in to facebook, I saw that the National Association of REALTORS® shared an article from the Wall Street Journal titled 10 Reasons to Buy a Home. The article starts with, “Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership.” Then it goes into critiquing various Time Magazine covers before getting into the positive reasons to own a home. It’s no surprise I saw it on facebook, it’s been shared over 11k times.
Nothing like some positive real estate news to jump start the day…
6 Step Real Estate Listing Marketing System
Welcome to the new and improved Online Marketing System for Real Estate Listings! I was thankfully notified by a Scottsdale Real Estate Agent that the old system was encouraging you to use some websites for commercial purposes even though their TOS say they don’t want you to do that. Time to adjust my recommendations.
The part about systemizing your business doesn’t change. Find what works, repeat. When you have systems behind the scenes, you’re eager to answer sellers that ask things like, “What are you going to do to market my house other than adding it to the MLS?“ If you already have a listing marketing system in place GREAT! If not, you are more than welcome to use this one for personal or commercial use! 
Google Voice for Real Estate Agents
Last Friday I caught up with a REALTOR® in Scottsdale, D Patrick Lewis, about a fresh tool he uses to manage his voicemail called Google Voice. Like most Google tools, Voice is $FREE.99 and comes packed full of features. (Check out the video here if it doesn’t display above.)
Would you like your cellphone to automatically transcribe your voicemails and send them to you in an email? Google Voice can.
Have you ever needed to let your real estate broker hear a message left by another real estate agent? Google Voice will let you email the voicemail transcript and audio file.
If you could, would you download and save all voicemails associated with a specific transaction? Google Voice will let you.
Finding Help For Open Houses
As we announced a few minutes ago, the Discussions section on the John Hall intranet now sends emails to REALTORS® that have subscribed to a particular category of topics. This improvement affects 2 questions I’m often asked from listing agents and buyer’s agents.
Q: How do I let other REALTORS® know I’m willing to help with their open houses?
A: First subscribe to the “Listings that need to be held open” discussion category. This will ensure you’re notified via email whenever another John Hall REALTOR® adds their listings to this forum. Then start a new topic in the “Agents that would like to help with open houses” category where you talk a little bit about yourself and the geographical areas you would like to work.
Previously we had a checkbox in the intranet profiles that indicated whether you would like to help with open houses or not. The feedback about the checkbox indicated it wasn’t that useful. So this week we took note of the 51 REALTORS® that had checked they would like to help, then deleted it. We then subscribed those 51 REALTORS® to the “Listings that need to be help open” category. This means they will now be emailed when a listing agent adds their listing to the open house discussion.
Q: How do I find other REALTORS® that would like to sit my listings as Open Houses?
A: Post your listing in the “Listings that need to be held open” category! Not only will it be there for all passerbys, it will also be emailed to all REALTORS® that are subscribed that category. This category’s subscriber count is currently 51.
I’m extremely optimistic this improvement will help both sides much better than the tools we had before.
Company Communication Improved
It’s true! The reason we decided to upgrade several components of our intranet has finally become a reality. The last piece of the software puzzle was successfully installed last weekend. Monday marked the first day of you being able to subscribe to an entire Discussion Category. WooHoo!! I know you’re excited too, no need to try and hide your enthusiasm. You can say woohoo too. (hand cupping ear)
Now let me explain in non technical mumbo jumbo.
There are several “categories” of discussion topics on our intranet. They include General Forum, Technology Talk, Listings that need to be held open, Items for Sale, and others. When you are logged in and viewing any of these “categories”, you’ll see a little button at the top and bottom that either says SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE.
If you SUBSCRIBE (know that you can then UNSUBSCRIBE at any point), but if you SUBSCRIBE then whenever a fellow REALTOR® at John Hall & Associates adds a new topic, you will be emailed the topic. If at any point you decide you want to UNSUBSCRIBE simply go to the topic and click UNSUBSCRIBE. Simple as that!
To jump start our new Subscription feature we’re going to subscribe all John Hall & Associates REALTORS® to the General Forum. If you are not interested in being included in this Subscription, please email me, call me, send me a message on twitter or facebook, stop by my office, or JH VM me (x2223) – I’ll be happy to click unsubscribe for you.
Here’s to communicating with other John Hallians a little better! 
Deidre St. Romain posted the first topic to be emailed out to all company REALTORS®! You should have received the notice 9/9/10 around 10am. If you didn’t, check your spam filter and maybe add iteam@johnhall.com to your safe sender list.
Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon: Phoenix Channel 3
On Monday, September 6th, Jim Sexton and John Doyel will be on the Phoenix MDA Telethon at 3:30pm on KTVK, Channel 3, with the check presentation from our 2010 Charity Golf Tournament.
A big thanks to REALTOR® Bob Morris for organizing John Hall & Associates’s REALTORS® to answer phones from 1pm – 5pm on Labor Day during the MDA Telethon.
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