SoCal Mastermind

I need some info on my computer but I'm on vacation.

2007-10-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there have been times where you wish you could get into your computer from a remote location. Well I know about GoToMyPC.com, but they want $20 a month. So I found a free solution called LogMeIn.com, great name by the way. LogMeIn.com offers a free version that is secure and very easy to use. When I am at a freinds house, at a clients or even traveling I now know if I can get online I can get to y computer at home. So go check it out.... it's free. As a tech several of my clients have it running and makes there system available to me without driving out to their location. Great for some problem solving or training.

More online digital photo editors

2007-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.fotoflexer.com/ - Remove blemishes, Change skin and hair color, Morph photos, Change backgrounds, Completely Free!

http://www.phixr.com/ - Besides the usual resize, rotate and color adjustments. You have a choice of many effects including an instant picture.

http://www.wiredness.com/ - A set of the basic tools... but very fast!

Have fun checking these out and discover which on eyou like the best.

Looking for help on writing copy for your blog?

2007-08-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Are you getting started in Blogging? Do you stare at the screen trying to think of what to write? I know I have but http://www.copyblogger.com/ has helped me so I wanted to share it with you. There articles will help you to write in a strategic, persuasive, compelling manner.

Here are some great articles:

Become a Guest Author!

2007-08-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

As we all know REALTOR to REALTOR networking is a great way to build our business with personal professional referrals. To pursue that thought further I'd like to make a suggestion that you continue to build that referral sphere while building your on-line presence through blogging as a "guest-author" on an outside blog.

Let me explain, I have an independent blog, (separate from my website http://www.preferredhomebrokers.com/) it's much different than my site which looks very institutional. My blog appears visually different in format and content. It's a community blog, (http://www.livinginsocal.com/) I do my best to tell stories and write articles in my own voice, as Gregg likes to say. So far I've written on community events, the real estate market, funraisers, consumer tips, remodeling info, etc, etc. Like many things we do, finding the time to keep up with a blog can be challenging, that's where the guest author idea came to mind. Not new at all, you see it all over the web, so I thought I'd give it a try, at least a version of it.

While cruising around Active Rain I found several posts I felt would be of interest to consumers. I contacted the authors (2 REALTORS and 1 lender) and asked for permission to link to their great posts. Of course they said yes! More online exposure for them, and great content for me. It was a win-win for us all.

Any thoughts, I love to hear from you. Interested in being a guest-author on my blog, let me know. I'd love to do the same in return.

UNLIMITED Virtual tours for a Year $35.00

2007-08-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

Saul Tucker with Chase is offering you the opportunity to have unlimited virtual tours through RealEstateShows.com for only $35.00. To learn more about this go to Saul's blog on ActiveRain.
Just today RealEstateShows.com has added a bunch of new features.

Flyers
You can now begin building and distributing flyers.
You can view the demo flyer from this video here.

Category RSS Feeds
You’ll notice an RSS Feed icon in the “Manage and Edit Existing Shows” area. Click on that icon and you’ll be taken to a page where you can select a full or partial feed of all the Shows marked as “Viewable in Other Shows.” You can do this for any category you wish.

A Brand New Player
You will notice a change in the look and also a new ending to each Show that will better focus the Internet viewer on the additional features of the Show.

Social Bookmarking and Social Networks
We’ve also made it easier for Internet viewers to share Shows they like via social bookmarking sites, like Digg, Del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon, and the social networking site, Facebook. Each of these will make it easier for people to spread the word about a home they are considering for purchase, or to promote the home you are selling for them, or to simply share a random Show they’ve enjoyed.

Google has made it easy to map

2007-08-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

When I am writing a blog or adding things to our website that has a location I like to have a map. But I have always just had to link over to a map on Google, Yahoo or Mapquest. Well Google has made it much easier to ad a map right on your page. In just 3 easy steps:

Go to maps.google.com and search for an address.
Click “Link to this page” in the top right-hand corner. Copy the text that you see in the second box.
Paste that code onto your blog or website. (It looks like they are using an “IFRAME” in order to make it work. )

Here's an example:

View Larger Map

Just for FUN!

2007-08-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just want to add some fun to your graphics for your blog or website. Here are a couple of sites that make it very easy AND very fun!

http://www.imagechef.com/

http://www.graphita.com/

Resources available at Realtor.org

2007-08-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

With the changes in the market clients have more questions than ever about lending. There are many places to get information to supply to them including on Realtor.org. Here are just a few brochures:

These brochures will help the consumer and show you as a knowledgeable expert.

FREE Legal Documents

2007-08-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Over 300 free professional legal documents and forms available to download as Microsoft Word documents (.doc) ready for you to print.

Wills
Bill of sale
Lease
Partnership
Promisary Note
and many more

http://www.prolegaldocs.com/

Saying Thanks!

2007-08-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

As a long-time member of BRO, personally I've benefited more than I ever could have ever imagined, the day I decided to take the plunge in BRO coaching. At a time about six months earlier, truthfully (I'm willing to admit) things were pretty good in business and in life. Personally after some difficult years...it was a time for me to be totally debt free, something I relished for a change.

Not sure I was willing to take on debt again, like many things, it was a leap of faith, something that's ingrained in my life. Since then, it (BRO) has brought me nothing but joy in life, joys in ways beyond anyting I could imagine.

The special friendships and bonds created amoung my peers are absolutely priceless, and I thank each and everyone of you for that.

Among those, Gregg Franklin is one of the most selfless human beings that I've ever met in my entire life-time This site is evidence of the same.

Gregg, I can't begin to tell you how important you and Heidi, along with Marlene are in my life. And I know in the life of Marlene too!

So I hope others will...and I know it takes "baby-steps" for some to move one. Let's do what we can to make this an important site for others.

Gregg, now that I've finally figured out my sign-in & password, I hope to be back here more often. It would be great if others feel the same way.

THANK YOU Mr. Webmaster, GREGG, you're da bestin my book!

Meeting Summary - 6/12/2007

2007-06-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

In today's meeting we had two guests, Jeff Dowler and Ron Pickett. They were invited by Marlene Bridges and are members of ActiveRain. ActiveRain is a website consisting of Blogs writtin about the Real Estate industry.

Sherman Smith was not able to make it to today's meeting but sent along some helpful info. On the topic of text messaging he sent a list of tools that Google provides called Google Mobile. He also provided us with a copy of the text message vocabulary.

Marlene Bridges mentioned to becareful about blogging that what you write about on the internet can be there forever.

Jeff Dowler suggested to always ask your clients what type of communication they are comfortable with voice, voicemail, email or text messaging.

Always be extremely polite in emails as the receiver has no way to know the intent weather it be humor, sarcasm or any emotion.

If you have a Blackberry, you can enable a message to state "Sent from Blackberry"

The discussion went from messaging to market conditions.

Margo Murray said in her area average day on market is 72 days.

Marlene Bridges mentioned some agents were not changing the status and this was a MLS violation. Also that violations could now be submitted ananomosly.

There was discussion on how By Referral Only had impacted agents lives.

Margo Murray said BRO taught her time structure (Before, During, After). She has also commited to oding one hour of prospecting 4 days a week. She calls expireds and past clients.

Lynda Eisenmann said BRO got her to know her numbers and Real Time Voicemail.

Dave & Joan Malec said BRO showed them how to "Wow" people and to get more referrals.

Next month's meeting topic: Showing our value!

Filling out a PDF Form

2007-06-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Have you had an agent or client send you a form that is a PDF and they want you to fill it out. Do you print it out and find a typewriter? (What's that?) Do you write it by hand and then fax it back?

Well there is a better way! Use PDF-XCHANGE VIEWER it allows you to open a PDF and fill out all the form fields. Then just save it and send it back via email.

The sender will be very impressed!

You can download this FREE tool here.

Blogging with Wordpress

2007-05-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

Lynda Eisenmann and I have been working on a new blog for her at LivingInSoCal.com. It is developed using Wordpress which is easy to setup and FREE! It is not like Blogger (provided by Google) it is a separate piece of software that you would upload to your site. It allows for a lot of customization including thousands of themes and hundreds of plugins. You can check out this tool at http://wordpress.org.

How to be a good neighbour

2007-05-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

VideoJug: How To Be A Good Neighbour

Early flight out of LAX? This might help.

2007-05-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

This tip is something that was taught to us by Marlene Bridges. Whenever we fly out of LAX on an early flight we stay at the Hacienda Hotel. They provide a service called "Park & Fly". For $149.00 you get a room, 7 days of parking and a 24 hour shuttle to LAX. This makes it easy to come the night before and rise early in the morning refreshed. They will shuttle you right to your departure gate.

Website: http://www.haciendahotel.com/spa.htm

List of 103 websites that Realtor.com posts to

2007-05-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

This list was provided by Sherman Smith. Please thank him for assembling this for us. Add this to your listing presentation and give your Sellers a wow!

Realtor.com website list

Sherman sent this $100 off a la mode Coupon

2007-05-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Save $100 on anything in the Spring catalogIf you've thought about adding some extra tools to your XSite so you're more profitable than ever, now's a great time to do it. Turn up your power now and land more clients and listings, without draining your bank account.

Meeting Summary - 5/8/2007

2007-05-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Todays meeting was about "Template" websites. Three were discussed:

Laura Weber spoke about her site (www.lauraweber.com) as a tool. Where she sends clients who do not wish to come into the office.

Pricing for Agent X is $399.00/yr, Advance Access $399.0/yr, #1 Expert is $60 a week and you own a zipcode. Marlene has Laguna hills. But also gets leads for Laguna Hills.

You can get a discount with Agent X if you are referred.

Marlene also said that when she went to a Howard Britton presentaion the panel all used #1 Expert.

Other miscilanious things that were mentioned :

Linktiger - a utility to check for broken links on your website.
Garmin Nuvi - GPS unit that I got for my birthday and love

Next meeting topic: Text messaging, beaming, Jott.com

A Dictionary for Text Messaging

2007-05-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

As per our Mastermind meeting this afternoon I am providing the website for a good text messaging dictionary. I am not sure if it was the one that was shared during the meeting so if it is a duplicate, ok, and if not it is an extra resource. The address is as follows:

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

This is the preferred way of communication for the 30 year old and under generation. From what has been said more and more people are preferring the instant text message over voicemail and phone calls. It is easy and you can read them without disturbing any one and during a meeting. You can't do that with the cell phone calls.

Is the agent you are referring your client to, the right agent?

2007-05-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

What type of questions would you ask of the agent before placing your client with them? Would you interview more than one?

You have a listing lead (Seller) in their city:

Tell me about your Real Estate experience
Do you have references
What do you expect from an agent you refer a client to?
How is the market?
Do you have any designations?How long have you specialized in this area?How do you intend to market the home
How many listings did you take vs what you sold?
What is your average days on market?
What is your list price vs sales price ratio?
Do you have a website?

You have a buyer relocation to their city:

How many buyer offers did you put together last year?
How many RELO buyers?
How much time are you willing to devote?
Do you have refrences?
Do you have a team or will you be helping them?
Do you have a good lender for the buyer?
What will you do to make the client feel comfortable in their new city?
Do you have a relocation package?
They want ___ area, do you know that area well?

Remember your future income depends on getting the "right agent"!

Hear C.A.R. Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young on the March houseing numbers

2007-05-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

This was broadcast on April 25, 2007 on KNX 1070 AM.

Need A Passport Photo? Quick & Easy

2007-05-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Go to ePassportPhoto and simply upload a photo captured on a white background, then simply edit and crop the photo for a valid 4"x6" photo sheet. Be sure to share this with your fiends and family as the rules for where a passport is needed is changing. This tool makes it easy and free.

SoCal Mastermind: Fixya

2007-05-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

SoCal Mastermind: Fixya

Fixya

2007-05-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Do you have a consumer product that is giving you problems? Not sure where to go to get help, well there is a new website called Fixya. FixYa is a huge knowledgebase that is constantly updated by a live community of users who share their experiences of technical problems and solutions. ou can search by manufacture, model name or even find a repair man near you. Next time you are having trouble with a device give Fixya a try.

Can't I just speak to someone without going through voicemail hell

2007-04-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

BRINGO cuts through all of that so you don't have to. That's right, BRINGO has conquered phone trees.

Here's how it works:

Find the company you'd like to call by category (credit cards, mortgages, loans, health care)

Enter your phone # (we will never disclose your phone number to anyone, not even your mother!).

Wait a few seconds while we navigate the phone tree.
When we call you back, pick up your phone and you're done. No more phone trees.

They currently have 10 catagories:

Auto (28 companies)
Communication (43)
Computer (24)
Financial Services (162)
Health Care (86)
Media (5)
Other (9)
Retail (58)
Travel (59)
Utility (9)

Is your Home Office a mess?

2007-04-26T08:57:00.001-07:00

I know mine can sure get messy. Here is a little video from a professional organizer with some tips.

Here is a link to more videos on organization tips all around your home. Enjoy!
>> Other videos on home organization

Is your website broken?

2007-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Haven't you ever clicked on an interesting hyperlink and got a "page-not-found" error? That was very annoying, wasn't it? Can you imagine how many customers have left that website in that way? LinkTiger.com alerts you on those broken links, so you can have it fixed, before your customer sees it. This online tool will search your whole webiste and also notify you via email when a link is broken. The graphic interface is very easy to understand.

So make sure your customers can see all your pages and give LinkTiger a try.

Watermarks revisited - online

2007-04-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

A while back I posted about watermarking photos using a tool you download called Picture Shark. This was a tool you donwloaded and worked with on your computer. Well I may have found an easier solution. It's a tool you can use online, no downloading and installing of a program. It's called Watermark Tool. No registration forms to fill out, just upload your file and select your watermark options to quickly and easily watermark your images.

You have the ability to choose the text, color, transparency, and more, you're able to personalize your watermark to suit your needs. It doesn't get much easier than this.

So many passwords, so many websites...

2007-04-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that as we got more comfortable with the Internet that we collect more websites and more logins. How can we remeber them all! We are told don't use the same password for every account as it is not secure. Especially if you have several online bank accounts. Well here is how I keep a handle on my over 200 logins. I use a USB flash drive and RoboForm.

Roboform is the top-rated Password Manager and Web Form Filler that completely automates password entering and form filling.

Memorizes your passwords and Logs You In automatically

Fills long registration and checkout forms with one click.

Encrypts your passwords to achieve complete security.

Generates random passwords that hackers cannot guess.

Fights Phishing by filling passwords only on matching web sites.

Defeats Keyloggers by not using keyboard to type passwords.

Backs up your passwords, Copies them between computers.

Synchronizes passwords between computers using GoodSync.

Searches for keywords in your passwords, notes and Internet.

Portable: RoboForm2Go runs from USB key, no install needed.

PDA-friendly: sync your passwords to Pocket PC and Palm.

Neutral: works with Internet Explorer, AOL/MSN, Firefox.

IE 7 and Vista are now supported.

With your USB flash drive and RoboForm you can go to any computer and it auto installs allowing you to get to your websites and login. When it's time to leave and you pull your USB flash drive it uninstalls everythimg, leaving non of your info on the computer. If you shoud ever loose the USB flash drive, all your information is encrypted. USB flash drives haev really come down in price adn you can pick them up at Costco, Office max or Best Buy. I would recommend a 1 GB or larger as it will allow you to also carry documents and phots as needed. If you liek to buy online you can get a 1 GB for $10.99 at newegg.com.

Do you need photos or clipart for your website, blog, flyer?

2007-04-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for stock photos? Here are two sites that you can get photos for FREE... royalty free.

Yotophoto or Everystockphoto.

Don't forget to visit Microsoft, they have a good selection of clipart. Over 40 pages if you serach "Real Estate".

Forever Stamps Now Available

2007-04-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Just an FYI for everyone regarding the new Forever Stamps.
When I was at the Post Office today mailing off my tax returns I inquired about the new stamps and when they would be available. The clerk informed me that they were available now and asked if I would like to purchase some. I replied that I would use up my current stamps and then get some. She very nicely informed me that only 750,000 were being printed and that they would not be printing any more after they were sold. So, of course, I changed my mind and bought 100 stamps.
I would not have thought that it would be a limited edition item. So if you are interested make sure you get your share of the 750,000 stamps they made available!

A nickle for a FSBO

2007-04-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting start to a drip system for a FSBO. Hopefully to get their attention.

############################################
Tape a nickel to a letterhead with this letter on it... ############################################

Dear Seller:

I noticed you are a For Sale By Owner. Maybe it will work for you? If so, I will be the first to congratulate you for beating the odds!

Even if it works, in the long run, you might end up wishing you had a nickel for every time a bogus "BUYER" called on your For Sale By Owner Sign and asked to see the house on short notice. They think nothing of interrupting the life of a seller, when they actually have no way to but a house in that price range. You'll know it when you meet them. Oh, they say nice things, and they like the decor, but they never make a fair offer. If you notice, they often avoid eye contact. They may even pay an unusual amount of attention to your possessions or family photos...

You might want another nickel for each time a "BUYER" promised a seller that they would come back with an offer as soon as they got a few things in order... Finally, you could be wealthy indeed if you had a nickel for every time a "STEALER - DEALER" offered 80% of list price to somebody who was selling, "By Owner" in our town.

Has any of this happened to you? Tired of lookey lous, low ballers, and time wasters? Want it to stop? Maybe you want to short cut the process before it happens to you? Want to fast forward your sale and meet some Real Buyers who will pay fair market value? I can pay for the ads, wait by the phone, and pre-screen the buyers for you before showing the house. I get them to offer at least 10% more than they will offer you, and I only charge 5-7% for the help. I get them to start at an average of 90% of market value on opening offer and then negotiate on your behalf to an average 97% of listing price. Sound good? Please call to discuss.

I really want to help you sell and statistics say I can get Real Buyers to make better offers then they make to owners! Don't you owe it to yourself to at least investigate? I am as close as your phone!

Warm regards...

Thanks to Lynda

2007-04-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to acknowledge Lynda for her follow up to our Mastermind meeting. Your double checking with Instant Access and posting these results is appreciated.

I also want to confirm the importance of "Time Off" as noted by Gregg in his earlier post. I have also experienced a benefit to my business by taking time off. It seems I always come back to new business as well as my own renewed ability to create new business. Good point Gregg!

My Apologies to Advanced Access

2007-04-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today while discussing lead generation from our websites, I mentioned that I thought Advanced Access sites did not provide consumer info to those requesting reports.

I was completely WRONG. Tonight I did a test myself and was notified immediately.

Since we will be continuing our discussion on websites next month, I thought I should pass this info along at this time. At this point, I have been completely happy with my AA site.

Lynda Eisenmann

Meeting Summary - 4/10/2007

2007-04-10T15:22:00.001-07:00

Todays meeting was on "Drip Systems".

Barbara Bain discussed that she has a website called "SearchCostaMesaHomes.com" through Dean Jackson. When leads come in from the site they are put in to her GetResponse.com system. This sets up a drip system or campaign as they like to call it. Her example she used today was a one year campaign and she provided these handouts.

A discussion on how much information to colllect from a potential buyer broke out about weather to get the name and email or to get more. Sherman Smith stated that he tested this aspect and found that he received equally as many with the full information (name, address, email, phone number) as the one with just the name and phone.

Jeff Simons talked on how he sends out a "Target Market Update" weekly or bi-monthly depending on the clients request. He sends them on Thursday and then does a follow up phone call on Monday.

Lee Jacobs says she hosts a site with Advance Access and they have Intelicards. She also mentioned Zazzle.com and that they can provide custom stamps. Stamps.com also provides this service.

Since stamps will be going up on May 14th here is a wonderful postage letter to send to your sphere of influence provided by Dave and Joan Malec as a touch point.

There was also talk of the post office's new "Forever Stamp". This stamp will allow you to send 1st class mail even after the rate has gone up. Beginning April, 12, the Forever stamp will be available in booklets of 20 through www.usps.com, by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 and in Post Office lobbies nationwide. Customers may also purchase the stamps in Post Office vending machines beginning April 14. Forever stamps will be available through Automated Postal Centers May 14.

Marlene Bridges mentioned that eNeighborhoods has a good drip system.

Next meeting topic: What's hot & what's not on Real Estate websites

Better Posting Techniques

2007-04-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight while cruising around online I was reading individual posts about SEO, Search Engine Optimization, something I still trying to understand well. This post was from a somewhat different perspective I thought worthwhile in sharing. The author Jeff Turner is well-known and well respected as a contributor on Active Rain. I thought he had some really great points and presented them clearly.

His title: It's Not About SEO. It's About YEO.

Here's a link to the post: http://activerain.com/blogsview/61829/It-s-Not-About

Lynda Eisenmann, http://activerain.com/blogs/lyndaeisenmann
www.PreferredHomeBrokers.com

Just Call Me!

2007-04-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Would you like to be able to allow potential clients who visit your website, blog or even from your email to call you just by clicking on a link? Well you can and for free using Jaxtr.

Jaxtr brings voice to social networks and blogs. Use Jaxtr to link your phones with your online network to receive the calls, voice messages and texts you want while keeping your phone number private.

You choose the phone where you receive your calls. You can block callers or specify on a per-caller basis who can ring your phone and who gets routed to voicemail.

They provide different widgets to place on your site or blog or a link.

or use a link in your email signature:

http://www.jaxtr.com/greggfranklin

There are other companies that provide similar services that charge from $49.95 to $150.00 a month so this is a bargain.

Another way to email LARGE files

2007-04-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need to email a large file to family or clients. For example a scanned contract or a photo. Many ISP's limit the size of files that can be attached to an email, often as little as 10 or 20 MB's is the maximum size. Go to http://www.mailbigfile.com and you can upload upto 100MB file for FREE!

Here is how it works

Sender uploads the file.
Recipient receives an email, with a link to download it.
Recipient downloads file.

Benefits:

Web Based - No software to download.
Easy To Use - 3 simple steps.
FREE - No cost, no registration - just start sending files.
Virus free - All files are virus scanned.
Send Big Files - Up to 100MB in size.
Progress Meter - Features a progress meter.

* Files sent through Mail Big File will be available for up to 3 days, or a maximum of 3 downloads.

They also offer a PRO version for only $19 a year with these benefits

Max File Size - 2GB!
Enhanced Upload Speeds
Secure Encrypted transfer
Receive a notification when the file has been downloaded
Pro Support - Fast response
Send to up to 5 recipients per file
Delete files after retrieval
Files are available to download for 14 days
Address Book - containing all the email addresses you have sent files to.
Quick Links - Receive download link once file is uploaded.
Each file can be downloaded up to 25 times

Google can give you the 4-1-1

2007-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Google Voice Local Search is Google’s experimental service to make local-business search accessible over the phone. They do not yet provide residential information.

To try this service, just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any phone.

Note: Google Voice Local Search is still in its experimental stage. It may not be available at all times and may not work for all users. We’re fine-tuning the service to get better at recognizing your requests. It’s currently only available in English, in the US, for US business listings.

Google also has the ability to respond via text message.

Text message your search query to 466453 ('GOOGLE' on most devices) and they'll text message back results. To learn more go to: http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/

What a great article by Our Lynda Eisenmann

2007-04-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was on ActiveRain the other day and reading through the featured articles and there it was, an article by Lynda. It was called "Do most real estate professionals really take off four months each and every year?". I thought this was a great article. Since Heidi and I joined ByreferralOnly we have made it a priority to take time off.

We have had many wonderful trips with Lynda & Marlene. We sometimes talk about business but we try to enjoy the time away.

Lynda covered about feeling guilty which we use too. But we found that when you step away from your businesss and recharge you actually serve your clients better. Sometimes you also find out that the business does just fine without you. Heidi has had several properties sell while on vacation. Have you had this happen?

Thinking of going some where, start here.

2007-04-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Whenever I start to think about traveling some where, I want to know the best hotels and area activities to select. So I go to Trip Advisor. This website provides me with unbiased reviews and opinions from people who have already been there. More than 5 million honest travel reviews and opinions from real travelers around the world. The reviews come with a rating and some times photos. The site also features:

New! Saves - a personalization tool that makes trip planning easy by allowing travelers to save hotel, restaurant, or attraction reviews to personal "My Trips" folders. Travelers can customize and expand their plans by adding maps, photos, their own notes and travel plan details.
Maps - makes finding the perfect hotel, at the right price, in exactly the right location, incredibly simple. TripAdvisor Maps mashup combines hotel popularity, price and availability with a dynamic mapping tool.

TripAdvisor Inside™- allows millions of travelers to view, contribute, and edit the freshest "guidebooks" available on more than 24,000 destinations worldwide, using wiki functionality.
goLists- a tool that allows travelers to publish and reference lists on everything travel
Hotel Popularity Index - the first index of its kind to dynamically rank hotels worldwide based on the popularity of a given hotel, as measured by both the quantity and quality of content written about the hotel on the Web
QuickCheck - a unique tool that, with one click, checks hotel pricing and availability across multiple vendor commerce sites
TripWatch - the first personalized, time-sensitive e-mail newsletter for travelers planning a vacation, giving customized e-mail alerts on the specific hotels, attractions and cities requested by the traveler
Weekend Getaway Guide - the only free, weekly e-mail guide that personalizes travel research based on a person's specific zip code, giving subscribers suggestions for weekend getaways within an easy drive of their hometown

More photos

When we went to Tahiti we read every single review and it really helped us to select what islands to visit and what hotels to select. It's also great way to come up with your next trip. If you are planning a trip soon, drop me a line I would love to hear about it!

Do you need a quick, free, tutorial on Word, Excel, Power Point or Publisher?

2007-04-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we need to brush up or even learn new skills on some of the most poular software tools. It would be nice to be able to sit down in front of the computer and have someone walk us through and teach us. Well LearningElectric.com has just the right solution for you. Short easily understood classes that you can choose when to watch and how many to watch.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Publisher

Enjoy!

Tips on Press Releases

2007-04-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Public relations is a process of developing relationships. These relationships include those with current customers of your brokerage, potential customers, the media, movers and shakers in your real estate community, nonprofit organizations and other influential entities. Here are some suggested public relations strategies.

Gain top of mind consumer awareness.
Become known as an innovative, forward-thinking real estate brokerage, a trendsetter,not a trend follower.
Become known as a brokerage where top producing agents thrive.
Become known as a source of expertise about real estate and related topics.
Become known by other leading businesses and business organizations in the community as a leader and good corporate “citizen.”

Reach out to:

Daily newspapers
Weekly newspapers
Weekly business journals
Magazines
Broadcast Television
Cable Television
Radio
Internet News Services

Your next steps are:

Create and update media lists.
Follow real estate trends in local and national media
Make a brief introductory call to introduce yourself, then offer yourself as an ongoing source of real estate information.
Send concise, factual news releases . Get to the point quickly.
Be patient. It may take weeks or months for a story idea to reach fruition.
Print and electronic media appreciate receiving periodic reports on housing activity (average prices, days on market, etc.).

Here is an example press release for a new agent.

New Sales Associate

(Name) has joined (name of office). (Name) was formerly with (name of former brokerage, if applicable) and has ____ years experience in real estate. (If you have a specialty or represent certain builders, etc., include here.)

“Connecting with (name of brokerage) will be a significant benefit to my clients, because it has the most powerful and efficient referral system in the business. When I list a property here in (name of town) it is exposed to a huge audience. And our technology tools can help my clients get the best possible price for their home in the least amount of time. All (name of brokerage) listings in the United States are automatically included within listings on the National Association of Realtors site – realtor.com.”

(Name of new agent) said another advantage offered by (name of brokerage), an extranet that allows its agents to share referrals, marketing techniques and the latest information about technology, regulation and similar topics. “Ongoing education is a strong priority at (name of brokerage) ,” said (name of new agent). “No other real estate organization has a higher percentage of affiliates with advanced designations.”

(Name of office) is located at ____________. (Name of new agent) may be reached at (local and toll free numbers).

The listings of (name of agent) and thousands of other (name of brokerage) listings can be found at www.(name of brokerage).com.

What are people saying about you?

2007-04-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

A new website search called Serph was developed to track and monitor buzz as it happens in real time. Serph can be used to find what people are saying about you, your company, products, employees, services, industry, competition, and more so that you can respond to your buzz faster. Serph also offers RSS feeds so you subscribe to the search queries that are most important to you. Tracking your buzz is extremely important in today's online world. It is your online reputation. Give it a try! You can see how helpful it is to get other peope to mention you . In a good way of course.

Need a new Font?

2007-03-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Today you sit down to work on a newsletter or promotional piece and you need that perfect font to showcase your piece. You look through the default fonts that come with Windows and they do nothing for you. Where to look next? Well stop by dafont.com they have loads of creative fonts. Here's an example:

They have them catagorized in Themes, New Fonts and Top 100. These fonts are available for download for the PC or Mac.

Activity Report

2007-03-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Do you provide your Sellers with an Activity Report? I find it to be a very good way of letting the Seller know what you are doing to sell their property. I send this to them about once a week. Since we have systems in place we pretty much just drop in what has been completed on what date. Here are some example entries:

Activity report for: 1234 Main St., Corona, CA

03/13/07 – 03/29/07

03/13 Entered info on property in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service)
03/13 Sign ordered
03/13 Showcase home ad ordered / Ad comes out 3/23
03/14 Placed property on Hold status in MLS
03/15 Large panel sign installed
03/17 Call from ERA New Star
Comments: Wanted to show property
03/17 Sign call
Comments: Wanted price
03/25 Placed property in Active status in MLS
03/25 Put 15 feature flyers in flyer box
03/25 Installed light on sign panel for night time exposure
03/26 Installed Lock Box
03/26 Ordered 300 “Just Listed” postcards sent to surrounding area
03/27 Emailed a copy of full MLS printout and customer copy for your review
03/27 Repaired sprinklers in front
03/27 Featured on heidisellshomes.com
03/27 Posted on: Google Base, Trulia, Oodle, Backpage, local.com, Lycos, Popsmart, Edgio, Vast, Craig’s list
03/27 Created virtual tour—Placed on MLS, Websites
03/27 Fixed front sprinkler
03/28 Posted to ActiveRain.com for exposure to other Real Estate agents
03/29 Placed colored flyers in all agent boxes at Remax Partners
03/29 Promoted property at Real Estate Board Meeting – and passed out colored flyers

There are things in the system that get inserted and of course any showing or calls on the property are recorded in the report. Selers love this report!

Copyright 2007 Heidi Franklin http://www.heidisellshomes.com

Network Marketing and Mentor Building

2007-03-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Do you belong to a network marketing group? Leads, Le Tip, BNI for example? I've been in several different organizations over the years and have found they have definitely been worthwhile. Although it's been years since I've been in some of these, I still have very positive connections with former members. You know once you get on my "list" that's it!

Currently I'm a member of ABWA, American Business Women's Association. Our group is known as an Express Network, We meet (only) monthly. Although our name speaks to women, we also have a few male members! We meet monthly at the Westridge Golf Club in La Habra.

If you know of anyone in the Northern Orange County area or Eastern L.A. County interested in building their business through a professional affiliation, please let me know. You can always reach me through my email at Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com or directly at 714 595-1494.

Shining a little light on Lighted Signs

2007-03-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

After looking at several ways to light a sign here are my thoughts on the different products available to light a sign.

ListingLight.com provides a solution that uses 6 C batteries rather than using solar power. 8 LEDS
Price: $65.00

I found this to be the brightest solution and provides the best even lighting.

14 LED lights
Sleek and lightweight design
Price: $45.00

I like the fact that it is solar and does not require batteries but I found it to present a dim uneven light. More info can be found at Sunpal.com.

Single LED
Price: $64.90

This one created a single hot spot on the sign and I actually had one stolen as they were not very secure. Sanzo Specialties carry these.

After trying each of theses I will probably stick with the battery powered one till solar improves. Have you tried any lighted signs?

30 FREE Digital Photo Prints

2007-03-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Do you have a CVS near you? Sign up for a CVS ExtraCare Card and receive 30 FREE photo prints! Order them... Pick them up in a few hours from your local CVS. Perfect to hand out at open houses.

Copyright 2007 Heidi Franklin http://www.heidisellshomes.com

Another online Photo editor...

2007-03-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I found another FREE online photo editor. It's called picnik provides all the standard tools like:

Rotate
Crop
Resize
Exposure
Colors
Sharpen
Red-Eye
and even an AutoFix

It aslo provides some creative tools:

Sepia
Black & Whaite
Boost
Soften
Vignette
Matte
and borders

The site is fast and very easy to use, so swing by and give it a wirl.

How to get back a lost USB drive

2007-03-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

Do you store information and data on a USB drive? I do and if I ever lost it, it could ruin my day. Well I found another person who had the same concern and came up with a way to have the key tell the finder that it was lost and how to return it to the owner.

You can find more info at http://www.dailycupoftech.com/have-your-lost-usb-drive-ask-for-help/ including the link to the software.

If someone found your USB key and they connected it to their computer they would see this:

When you click on [OK] they see a message like this:

Hopefully the finder will contact you and you can get it back.

Copyright 2007 Heidi Franklin http://www.heidisellshomes.com

As a landlord are your rents too high or low?

2007-03-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

A lot of folks have become landlords by either hanging on to property because of the market change or as a retirement solution.

A new website tool called rentometer.com is now available. This tool can be used by renters and landlords to measure how a property's rent stacks up against similar homes or apartments nearby.

Using data from listings provided by rental marketing firms and property owners/managers and listings publicly available on the Web, the site's "Rentometer" gauge provides a quick visual comparison of a property's rent to the area's rental range.

The site is easy to use and provides users with a quick estimate of how their rents match up against neighborhood rates. However the Rentometer only considers a rental property's address, number of bedrooms and total units in a building when comparing rates -- so if you rent a two-bedroom penthouse in a new full-service building, your unit may be compared to dissimilar rentals -- say neighborhood basement apartments in older buildings with relatively few amenities.

Rentometer added a feature that allows landlords and property managers to post their listings on their site. Also a tool to allow you to add their data to your website. Check it out!

Are you using Lowe's Realtor Benefits?

2007-03-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Lowe's is providing to Realtors:

Free Personalized Direct Mail Pieces
Discounts to our clients
Discounted Gift cards
DVD for sellers - helping them stage
Free helpful articles
Bi-monthly Creative Ideas magazine
Realtor Rebates
Even an RSS feed to add to your website to povide industry news

Here is how the program works:

1) Log on to LowesRealtorBenefits.com

2) Register online, NRDS# required for Realtor® designation validation.

3) After registration, enter buyer and/or seller information and Lowe's will send a fully customized offer to your client - branded to you and your company.

What a great value to present to your clients and Lowe's does all the work and they pay for the postage.

Copyright 2007 Heidi Franklin http://www.heidisellshomes.com

Living Trust - Do you have one?

2007-03-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

A living Trust is something every home owner should have.

One of the greatest benefits of a Living Trust is its ability to avoid probate for those assets contained within it, provided the Trust is drafted and maintained correctly. Probate avoidance is very beneficial for your estate and heirs because it often takes between one and a half to three years before assets are distributed to your intended beneficiaries. Moreover, probate fees are determined by statute and based on a percentage of the estate's value. For example, probate fees on a $100,000 estate could be approximately $12,000. They are mandatory and taken from the estate before any assets are distributed. A Will is subject to probate, a Trust is not.

Since probate is avoided for those assets contained in the Trust, such assets may pass to the beneficiaries immediately upon death. This is especially important for assets which need constant supervision or management such as a dental practice or stocks and bonds whose value can fluctuate rapidly.

A Trust has many other beneficial attributes. Provided the Trust is funded, a Trust avoids the problems of heirs contesting your Trust. Furthermore, financial support can be established for minor or disabled children or family members through the use of a Trust by naming a Trustee to manage the assets and provide for those individuals under specified guidelines.

You can create one yourself through websites like Legalzoom.com or through an attorney. Attorney's charge anywhere from $800 to $2400 depending on the complexity of the trust.

Review this Living Trust FAQ.

I finally did it and you can too

2007-03-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is my very first Blog and I hope I'm doing it correctly. First I want to thank all of you at SoCal Mastermind for the great advice and encouragement. I'm hopeful that once I'm up to speed I'll be able to contribute too.

I just bought a book titled REALTY BLOGGING by Richard Nacht and Paul Chaney. Has anyone read it? I'd like to know if you found it useful.

Free Blog Content

2007-03-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

To have a successful blog you need good content. That can be a challenging task. It would be helpful to have a staff of writers at your disposal but most of us have to due this ourselves.

But there are websites that can help. Such as "The Free Dictionary". They will provide you with:

Word of the Day
This day in history
Today's birthdays
In the News
Quotation of the Day
Match Up
Hangman

Article Example:

You can also get articles from "Ezine Articles". Be sure to read the Terms of service.

Another site "Article Depot"

These are the sites I visited and are just a handful of sites available. I would recommend writing your own articles or reading others and posting them in your own words. However there are sites that will do this kind of thing if you want to fill your blog with content.

Have you established your emergency savings account?

2007-03-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

You always here you should have 3-6 months of income reserved. Heidi and I have been working on this and want to recommend a few great places to not only have savings but to actually earn a pretty good return.

One of our favorites is Washinton Mutual. If you signup online for a checking account you get a savings account that will give you a return of 5.00 APY. The reason we like this account are the funds are available at any time. They do have a limit on how many times you transfer funds. If you exceed 6 a month they charge you a fee. You will also receive a Mastercard ATM card which you'll receive a $.03 reward for each Debit MasterCard purchase transaction made within the last year up to a $250 reward.

Our next choice would be iGoBanking.com. They have no fees and no limits and a return of 5.30% APY. It takes about 3 days to get funds in and about 5-7 days to get funds out. So your funds are not as liquid as Washington Mutual. But you get a higher rate and it actually forces you to think about weather you really need to touch the money.

The last choice is ING Direct. You probably have seen commercials for them with their big orange ball. We have had an account with them for over 2 years. I have been very happy with them, their site is very secure. However their rate has not been keeping up at 4.50% APY and it can take 10 days to get funds out.

All these options present great ways to tuck away money for an emergency.

How we can help with graffiti

2007-03-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

The latest Wordpower Dictionary says graffiti is “unauthorized writing or drawing on a surface in a public place.” It includes the horrible scribble you see painted or scrawled on fences, bridges, on the sides of buildings, houses, and elsewhere (also called tagging). Most of it is garbage that looks like 5-year-olds have done it. But some of it is colorful and might look artistic if it hadn't destroyed someone's property.

Graffiti brings down our clients propert values. So it is in our best interest for our clients and our community to report any tagging. Go ahead and program your areas hotline into your phone so you can have easy access to it any time you see it.

Graffiti Hotlines
Orange: (714) 744-7279
Anaheim: (714) 765-5200
Brea: (714) 671-4465
Corona: (951) 278-3227
Riverside: 1-866-TAG FREE
Garden Grove: (714)741-5381
Tustin: (714) 573-3111
Santa Ana: (877) 786-7824
Irvine: 724-7196
Mission Viejo: (949) 460-2924
Laguna Hills: (949) 707-2656
Los Angeles: (800) 675-4357
Huntington Beach: (714) 960-8861
Newport Beach: (949) 644-3333
Chino: (909) 364-2820

NAR reporting housing recovery likely this year

2007-03-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said there is some ambiguity about the current housing market. Due to unusual weather patterns and problems in the subprime lending marketplace. Existing-home sales are expected to slowly improve from what appears to be the cyclical low last fall, but we think there will be some additional pain in the new home market, which hopefully will start to rise later in the year.”

“Lending problems in our nation's subprime marketplace are building, which could inhibit future housing activity and further dampen our forecast. Even so, these problems are likely to be contained and not spill over into the prime mortgage market.”

For critics who don’t understand the weather impact on seasonally-adjusted sales, Lereah explained we’re likely to be reminded about the consequences throughout this spring. “Here’s what’s happened and how it’s likely to play out. In December, unusually mild weather brought out shoppers and January existing-home sales rose,” he said. “However, a sudden chill in January slowed shopping activity relative to December and pending sales, based on contracts, fell.

“We have yet to see the biggest weather impact – February’s winter storms brought markets to a halt in much of the country, and it was the coldest February since 1979 – that should drag sales down in March,” Lereah said. “This means we may not see an upturn in closed transactions before May 25 when we report sales for April.”

I'm not sure how this affects our Southern California market. We are noticing an improvement in activity of buyers.

Are you still paying for your 411 information?

2007-03-17T07:24:00.001-07:00

Stop paying $1.50 or more and call 1-800-FREE411. I programmed the number into my cell phone and use it all the time.(Speed dial 4) If your wondering how they can give this wonderful service away it's through small 10-15 second advertisements. When you call to request a number you will hear a short ad then the requested info.

If your not near your cell phone you can look up a number online at: http://www.free411.com.

Give a try and let me know what you think.

How to get a large file sent to a client

2007-03-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Have you ever needed to send a file, photo or music to someone to find out they are limited by their email account or yours? Well I have a solution.

http://www.gigasize.com

Essentially, GigaSize is the new way to share anything with anybody, without the hassles of traditional ways like e-mail. And the best part is that basic accounts are free! That’s right! No registration required. Simply pick the file you would like to share, upload it, and decide what to do with it.

A service that is reliable, simple and quick
An easy way to share your files
You can email links to huge files that your normal email account cannot handle as attachments.
The downloadable file cannot be modified or deleted
Secure servers -No one can corrupt your file or exchange it with anyone

Tips for effective email

2007-03-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some hints for making your electronic communications more powerful, unique and effective.

Offer information to identify yourself.

a. Your full name
b. Your credentials
c. Your company and city/state/province
d. Your phone number and contact info

Include a hyperlink to your Web site.

Include a hyperlink to your e-mail address.

Include a hyperlink to your Blog.

Follow good grammatical guidelines.

Setup an automated signature line.

Hereis what mine looks like:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heidi Franklin
RE/MAX Partners
"Your Real Estate Consultant For Life!"
Cell: (909) 772-8842 Office: (951) 278-8755 Ext. 171
Email: heidi@heidisellshomes.com
Website: http://www.heidisellshomes.com/
Designations: CRS, SRES, E-Pro, Luxury Home Specialist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Avoid using inflammatory language or slang.

Use capital and lower case words correctly.

Don't forward send lists.

Use emoticons to convey specific meanings in your message.

Create and Publish a Podcast—for FREE

2007-03-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

What's a Podcast? To put it simply, a Podcast is an audio file, a MP3, most likely that you can listen to online or download to a player.

The Odeo Studio is audio recording software that works in your web browser to allow you to create Pocasts. All you need is a computer, a good connection to the internet and a microphone.

Step 1: Click on the Green sign up now button and enter a name, email and password

Step2: Clcik on the Record New Audio Button and your presented with a recorder

Step 3: Once you've got a recording you're happy with, click Save Recording. It may take a while for the next screen to appear, because the audio you recorded was kept on your computer until you were finished recording. When you click Save Recording, the audio is then uploaded to Odeo. Once it's uploaded, you'll see a form that lets you enter details about the recording. At the bottom of the form, the Place in drop-down lets you select a Podcast where this recording will live. Finally, click Save changes to this podcast.

Next you can place your newly recorded Podcast on your website or in a blog using some code that is creating for you.

Here's an example:

powered by ODEO

Want to become a better Podcaster? Listen to the Podcasting Survival Guide.

Better Photos=More Sales!

2007-03-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

We all know a picture is worth a thousand words, right? I would imagine great photos are worth even more!

Thanks to Gregg Franklin I've learned to use PIXENATE at:

http://pixenate.com

I've been looking for a few before and after photos to use as an example, but it looks like everything that I've saved has alreay been edited. I do have several versions of my mug on file.

Normally when editing, I try to focus just on the property and eliminate much of the street at the bottom and the sky at the top. If the next door neighbors house looks too close I just crop it right there. Whatever it takes.

All 3 of these photos were edited on this site. The sepia tone is one of the many special effects that can also be done.

It's just great, easy to use and one of my favorite words is FREE! Yeah, give it a try!

Try it out and let me know how it works, I'd love to hear from you.

Lynda

Get your listings on more websites

2007-03-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a free easy way to get your listings on:

Google Base
Trulia
Oodle
Backpage (via Oodle)
Local.com (via Oodle)
Lycos (via Oodle)
Propsmart
Edgeio
Vast
HotPads

It's so simple. You build the ad once and submit to all the above sites. Included with each postlet is the HTML code to post your ad on craigslist. You can even include up to twelve photos.

Meeting Summary - 3/13/2007

2007-03-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

In the meeting today Gregg Franklin and Lynda Eisenmann spoke of Blogs. You can find the handout here.

Lynda Eisenmann mentioned three Pro-Bloggers to checkout on ActiveRain.

Marlen Bridges mentioned Merriam-Webster and how it can announciate words for you.

Sherman Smith had asked if he could convert a cassette tape into a digital file.

"The Secret" was mentioned as a topic and can be veiwed at http://www.thesecret.tv/

Next meeting topic: How are you attracting buyers?

***If I forgot to mention something in the meeting please comment as I did not take very good notes.

The tool to Watermark photos

2007-03-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

I searched around for a program that will create a watermark for photos and found picture-shark.

Here are some of picture-shark's features:

With its wizard like interface it is super easy to use
Create real watermarks
Choose transparent color, opacity, position and much more
Use the "feather"-feature to make the edges between the stamp and the picture smarter
as with any other tool, just by one mouse-click
Very fast (processing hundreds of pictures each minute)
Support for different output formats and quality settings
WYSIWYG preview-mode for all settings
Support for preserving jpeg-headers
copy & paste between other applications and picture-shark

>> Step by step guide

Welcome to SoCal Mastermind's new Blog

2007-03-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

We have arrived! Well our group know has it's own blog. I hope to add something new each day that will provide value.