Real Estate Agents come and go! 50% of all agents leave the business in the first year. Over 80% of the agents leave the business within 5 years. That leaves the Great agents working and in the business ever after. More than 80% of the real estate business is done by 20% of the agents.

So what makes for a Great Agent?

They are contributor’s They look out for the benefit of their clients first.

They are students. They keep learning and changing as the market  and client expectations changes.

They are service oriented. They always want what is best for the clients first.

They are technology oriented. As the marketing, processing and communications change with technology, they catch on fast and keep with technology.

They have a great follow up system. They stay in touch with their clients and have them in the loop all the time.

They know the market they deal in. They keep up with the trends in the local market as well as the national market.

They are great at marketing. Not only do they market their properties, but also market their services.

They are community oriented. They help and care for their community with the many contacts and resources they have.

They respect their clients, peers and affiliates. This also creates for a great team work approach.

They believe in themselves.

Next time you buy or sell, feel free to work with Great agents. They are out there. They will Perform and Deliver to your expectations.

I have been in the real estate business for many years. I have tried all the tricks in the trades to get more clients all the time. In fact I have spent too much time chasing after new clients.

I have worked on For Sale By Owners, Expired listings, Open Houses, Just Listed and Just sold mail outs and drop offs, news paper advertising, craigslist postings, Facebook, twitter and Linked posts, blogging, and networking etc etc. Many times I feel like I work on these lead generation activities all at the same time and get overwhelmed! Lot of my time goes to new business generation, sometimes it pays off and sometimes it does not.

I went to a mixer/seminar recently, and the speaker quoted “More Business, Fewer Clients” This speaker is a heads a company that does close to $1 Billion per in sales! and they have less than 100 clients! That is when it hit me! Why am I chasing so many buyers and sellers, when I have gold in my database! Past clients, friends, and a great circle of influence.

Isn’t it true in any busines that 80% of the business comes from 20% of the people! It should apply to me as well.

Any suggestions and feedback are most welcome.

Mahesh Mike Patel  Prudential CA Realty. www.mikepatel.com

mikepatel@sbcglobal.net

 Many homes do not sell, and then become Expired Listing.

Here are some reasons why  listings Expire.

I have lsited and sold many expired homes. These are homes that were on the market, but did not sell. The most common reason why a house does not sell is usually because it is priced high.

There are other factors why a house does not sell like condition and marketing etc.    

I went on an expired listing last week. 15 minutes into the appointment, I knew I did not want to take the listing. The sellers had boght the home in April 2010 for at $300,000(not exact sale price). For job related reason, they have to sell, and so listed the house in Nov 2010 for $340,000!!.  Of course it did not sell. The market has gone down last year in Orange County, not up!  No remodeling was done either.  I recommended that they list at $300,000 or less!

I noticed the next day the house was listed by a competitor, at the same listing price…$340,000.  We all know that this house is not going to sell, know matter how much marketing will be done. She wants to list at $340,000 so she can recover her closings costs from both buying and selling the home!

So the question is why do Real Estate agents take overpriced listings, knowing the house will not sell at that price.

Here is the WHY::

1. They are desperate and hungry agents, only looking to their benefit, not the sellers.

2. They do not have a marketing budget. They want FREE sign calls.

3. They promise to do Open Houses, checking out the sellers out of their own homes on weekends. Meanwhile, the agent is picking up seller and buyer leads, at no cost to the agent.

4. They lack the skill and confidence to tell the sellers the truth, ‘This house will not sell at that price, Mr/Mrs Seller!

5. They have low self esteem and earn money at others efforts and costs.

6. They will take listing at a high price, then bug the sellers to drop the price over and over again.

(This blog is meant to be an ‘educationa’l moments for the seller and not a put down for agents. This scenario may not always apply.)

Welcome to the most current Housing Trends eNewsletter. February 15th 2011. This eNewsletter is specially designed for you, with national and local housing information that you may find useful whether you’re in the market for a home, thinking about selling your home, or just interested in homeowner issues in general.

Please click on this link to view the Housing Trends February – 2011 Newsletter

http://mikepatel.housingtrendsenewsletter.com

The Housing Trends eNewsletter contains the latest information from the National Association of REALTORS®, the U.S. Census Bureau, Realtor.org reports and other sources.

Housing Trends eNewsletter is filled with local and national real estate sales and price activity provided by MLSs and the National Association of Realtors, U.S. Census Bureau key market indicators, consumer videos, blogs, real estate glossary, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, and REALTOR.com local community reports.

Sound decisions can only be made with accurate and reliable information, and I am happy to be a trusted resource for you. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with this monthly eNewsletter, and I look forward to answering any questions you may have and to the opportunity to be your REALTOR® in the future.

With Compliments,

The market is ever changing. 

What you are hearing from the mainstream national media about Real Estate is only one small part of the story.

Here is the link to my Video Newsletter: for the latest.

http://www.patelsupdate.com

My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include:

Current Real Estate News
Interest Rates
Mortgage Advice
Question & Answers Short Sales Foreclosures

Plus much more. It is “real time” and changes weekly.

Whether you are thinking about selling or buying, or you just want to keep abreast of the market, I hope you find this information useful and informative

CalHFA FHA Program highlights include:

• First time homebuyer or qualified Veteran
• 620 minimum credit score
• Purchasing property in designated target area
• Seller concessions 3%
• Loan up to $417,000
• Primary, single family residence
• Rate reductions available when CalHFA
• Condos and PUDs must be FHA approved
• Program is used with CHDAP
• Homebuyer Education & Counseling course required

Current sales price limits and income limits apply
Riverside County & San Bernardino County
Sales Price: $550,000 for target area and $450,000 for non-targeted area
Orange, Los Angeles & Ventura Counties
Sales Price: $802,725 for target area and $656,775 for non-targeted area
CHDAP Program highlights include:

• Can be used for down and closing
• Interest rate reduction when used with CalHFA
• 3% of sales price used as a second mortgage
• 1% down payment of borrower funds
• CHADAP is a Deferred loan

        Contact us for more info or any questions.  714.470.8600    mikepatel@sbcglobal.net

 Mahesh Mike Patel  Prudential Ca Realty      

99% Financing Available with CalHFA FHA & New CHDAP

The market is ever changing. 

What you are hearing from the mainstream national media about Real Estate is only one small part of the story.

Here is the link to my Video Newsletter: for the latest.

http://www.patelsupdate.com

My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include:

Current Real Estate News
Interest Rates
Mortgage Advice
Question & Answers Short Sales Foreclosures

Plus much more. It is “real time” and changes weekly.

Whether you are thinking about selling or buying, or you just want to keep abreast of the market, I hope you find this information useful and informative.

The market is still ever changing. 

What you are hearing from the mainstream national media about Real Estate is only one small part of the story.

Here is the link to my Video Newsletter: for the latest.

http://www.patelsupdate.com

My Video Newsletter is loaded with up to date Real Estate News and Advice. Some of its features include:

Current Real Estate News
Interest Rates
Mortgage Advice
Question & Answers Short Sales Foreclosures

Plus much more. It is “real time” and changes weekly.

Whether you are thinking about selling or buying, or you just want to keep abreast of the market, I hope you find this information useful and informative.

I was invited to be a co-presenter at a LACE Toastmasters International Training Day for the members. We were to talk about our personal experience on social media.

Here is a snap shot of our Topics that we presented:

Why I am on Social Media:

1. I like the Internet and it is fast and vast interaction.( Easy to learn)

2. Exposure (You and/or your business or organization)

3. Branding. (Personal or Business)

4. Making New Online Friends.

What I have gained from Being Active on Social Media:

1. Possibility of generating business(if that is one’s focus, I recommend using Fan Pages for business or organizations)

2. Making good Offline friends from initial Online contacts.

3. Building your Reputation. Your friends are watching you, and trying to figure who you really are based on your posts and comments.(Online and Offline)

4. It is an Easy way to keep track of your ‘freinds”, what are upto, including your competition (if one is using social media for business etc)

What should My Objective be on Social Media:

1. Engage! Post comments and join in on conversations. Get to know your friends friends. This will give you a lot of exposure.

2. Drive Traffic to your Webiste. By posting or engaging, you can have links and drive traffic to your site.

3. Be Real. Post things or comments that you are passionate about. Be You. Be Real. Don’t pretend to be someone else. Your friends will get to know who you really are online. Be Genuine!

4. Be consistant.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Use leverage and efficiency while posting. e.g. If I write a blog say on wordpress.com, it can auto post to my Facebook Fan page, which auto post to Twitter, which auto posts to my Linkedin account….One click to many site at once.

2. Use sites like Ping.fm or Posterous.com to post on multiple accounts at once. I have registered on over 40 social media sites. So if post, “Have a great Monday” on Posterous.com or Ping.fm, it will automaticaly post on all the site with ONE CLICK!, I don’t have to manually post on all sites individually.

3. To post comments on site on a regular basis, while at work or while you are on the road, you can use sites like hootsuite.com. It lets you auto post on hourly or set times, once you have entered the commets.

4. To find people that have similar interests like yours, or have similar business or organizations, you use sites like search.twitter.com. You can find them by area, or zip codes or by categories etc.

Conclusion: Social media can be fun and excitng if you make it so. It can be frustrating or hard if you make it so. Spend a limited but consistent time on it daily. Dont waste too much time with it. It can get distracting. Make friends online and share comments and ideas! Drive traffic to your sites! Most of all have fun with it. It is here to stay, and yes it will be everchanging.

Please feel free to LIKE my Fan page! I would really appreciate it! Click on the box below!

MikePatelGroup | Promote Your Page Too