How Can a Real Estate Agent Get Their License Revoked?
As one of the best real estate schools in Massachusetts, we often talk about how people can get their real estate licenses. But, what about the opposite? How do agents get their licenses revoked? Knowing what to do is great, but you should also know what not to do. So today, let’s go over all the ways
How to Overcome a Bad Home Inspection
Home Inspections Don’t Have to Be Painful Home inspections are a crucial part of the homebuying process, but they can be nerve-wracking. While the inspection is underway, buyers’ and sellers’ agents alike might be wondering: What will the inspectors find? Will the sale fall through? That anxiety is natural. A Zillow research report found that among sellers
The Basics of Digital Accessibility for Real Estate Agents
Why You Should Make Your Website Accessible and ADA-Compliant Most real estate agents know that creating a website is an important way to connect with clients and generate new business. But is your online presence accessible to clients with disabilities? When you work to make your website and social media accounts more accessible, it benefits all of your
How To Save For Retirement As A Real Estate Agent
Real Estate Agents Should Disaster Proof Their Retirement Plan As a real estate agent, planning for retirement can require creativity and extra work as compared to most professions. Many real estate agents and REALTORS® are independent contractors. This means you have no employer-sponsored retirement plan in place for your future. Additionally, since income is often based
Student Loans Affect Americans’ Ability to Purchase a Home
Student Loans Are Among ‘Biggest Hurdles’ to Homeownership Many Americans — and especially millennials — are burdened with large amounts of student loan debt that affect their daily lives, including their ability to purchase a home, data shows. Student debt “is one of the biggest hurdles holding potential buyers back from being able to save for a downpayment
3 Real Estate Agents’ Haunted House Stories
Real Estate Agents Tell Stories of Supernatural Encounters Whether you’ve been working in real estate for a few months or a few decades, you likely have stories of quirky clients and peculiar homes — but some agents’ tales are even stranger. Just in time for Halloween, we’ve collected nightmarish stories from agents across the country who have had
How to Get Reviews & Testimonials as a Real Estate Agent
Why Are Reviews and Testimonials Important to Real Estate Agents? If you find yourself conducting a Google search before trying a new restaurant or making a costly purchase, you’re in the company of most modern consumers. When it comes to purchasing a piece of real estate, you better believe potential real estate leads are going
Criminal Minds: Real Estate Fraud, Vol.2
Check Out These Stories of Notorious Real Estate Scammers All real estate professionals need to take fraud and unethical behavior seriously. After all, gaining a client’s trust is an incredibly important part of an agent’s job. But what happens when agents decide to scam their clients or otherwise commit fraud? You’ve likely seen national news stories about real
Browsing That’s Built to Last: Online Safety for Agents
The Prince of Nigeria Has a Bridge to Sell You In the digital age, particularly amid a work-from-home boom, agent safety extends far beyond simply staying aware of your surroundings or even wearable safety technology. Today, real estate professionals must also be aware of digital dangers. From sophisticated hack jobs to high-tech identity theft, understanding and utilizing a
How the Real Estate Business Came To Be
Today’s Real Estate Professionals Uphold a Rich Legacy You might know your way around a marketing campaign or your favorite real estate CRM, but have you studied up on the rich and lengthy history of your profession as a whole? Agents today are the result of thousands of years of societal change and continue to help facilitate
The Complete Guide to Home Staging
Real Estate Agents Should Stage in Style Home staging, or the process of organizing, decorating, or otherwise beautifying a listing, is a critical step in the home transaction process that is believed to help the property sell at a higher price in less time. The process can be intimidating, foreign, or downright confusing for those just starting
Errors and Omissions Insurance for Real Estate Agents
What Is Errors and Omissions Insurance? If you’ve just gotten your real estate license, congratulations — you’ve made it past one of the largest hurdles in your real estate career. Of course, that’s just the beginning of something much bigger. Ahead lies one of the most unique and fulfilling opportunities one can have, but before you start
Luxury Real Estate in the Age of the Social Media Star
What Happens When Social Media Stars Take on Luxury Real Estate? Many of the top names on social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram brand themselves as being relatable. But with many top-earners reportedly making millions per year, they’re not exactly just like us — and neither are their houses. From mansions decorated like something out
Embrace the Heat: Setting Expectations in Hot Markets
Buyers and Sellers Alike Are in for a One-of-a-Kind Housing Market Homeownership can be an emotionally taxing process in the best of times, never mind in the wake of a global pandemic, COVID-19 recession, and period of record-low mortgage interest rates. Luckily, stellar real estate agents are here to save the day, imparting knowledge and wisdom to
Video Calls: Best Practices for Real Estate Professionals
What Are the Best Ways to Look Professional While on a Video Call? Nearly a year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the United States, many restrictions have been lifted. But video calls, which quickly entered the mainstream as we all quarantined at home, aren’t going anywhere. For real estate professionals, video calls have become
Congratulations, You’re a Real Estate Agent…Now What?
Tips for Your First 90 Days as a Real Estate Agent So, you’ve passed your exam, and now you’re a licensed real estate agent. You’ve likely even joined a brokerage. Congratulations! You’re joining a vibrant, fast-paced community of millions of real estate professionals working in the United States. But if you’re suddenly wondering what to do next, you
U.S. Cities Offer Incentives to Lure in Remote Workers
Remote Work Could Change Where People Live Cities and counties across the U.S. have launched programs to lure remote workers to their regions, capitalizing on pandemic-era changes that have allowed tens of millions of people, especially in industries such as technology, to work from anywhere. Read More
Transforming Distressed Hotels Into Affordable Housing
Check Out This Hotel-Based Solution to America’s Affordable Housing Crisis As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, prompting travel restrictions and stay-in-place orders, hotel stays plummeted. Hundreds of millions of rooms sat empty in 2020. Meanwhile, communities across the country have seen “an acute undersupply of housing,” with renting becoming increasingly unaffordable, the National Association of REALTORSⓇ
Vacation Home Sales Skyrocket During COVID-19 Pandemic
Vacation Home Sales Surge During COVID-19 Pandemic In the months after COVID-19 hit the United States, vacation home sales shot up, likely the combined result of low-interest rates, a desire to escape amid social distancing and lockdown, and an unprecedented ability to work from anywhere. It’s part of a major cultural shift around work and homebuying in the
How Biden’s Jobs and Infrastructure Plan Would Affect Housing
President Biden Commits to Addressing Affordable Housing Crisis President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure proposal includes a $213 billion investment in affordable housing, pledging to “build, preserve, and retrofit more than two million homes and commercial buildings to address the affordable housing crisis.” The proposal, called the American Jobs Plan, has faced significant Republican opposition since
2021 Real Estate License Reciprocity & Portability Guide
What Is Real Estate License Reciprocity? Real estate reciprocity is the ability of a real estate license earned in one state to be used in other states. Since real estate license reciprocity states vary, and it can be incredibly confusing to navigate on your own, this guide explains how to transfer a real estate license to another
Fair Housing Act Extends to Protect LGBTQ+ Community
LGBTQ+ Homebuyers and Renters to Be Protected From Housing Discrimination The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is making a change that stems from the executive order President Joe Biden signed on his first day in office. It was announced in February 2021 that the Fair Housing Act will now cover those who experience discrimination because
What Is The Impact of Marijuana on Real Estate?
Marijuana and Real Estate: A Budding Relationship As of now, 15 states and D.C. have legalized recreational and medicinal marijuana. There are 36 more that allow for medicinal weed. Other states, such as South Dakota, legalized marijuana in the November election and are set to join the ganja party relatively soon. For an industry that goes through constant
Top Home Trends for 2021 That Ghosts Hate
Become the Ghostess with the Mostest by Avoiding These Design Trends There's nothing ghosts love more than dank, dark houses full of nooks and crannies. But haunted attics and spooky cellars are so 1821, and ghosts in 2021 are unfortunately facing a new series of home trends that feel, well, unhauntable. Keep reading to learn more about
How Do Real Estate Agents Get Listings?
10 Real Estate Strategies for Agents to Get Competitive Listings Listings allow real estate agents to represent properties during the sales process. Without them, you can't get paid. Still, in the competitive world of property sales, it can be difficult to know how to get listings when you’re new to real estate. You’re likely wondering, “How do
What Is The History Of She Sheds?
Much Like a Man Cave, She Sheds Offer Women the Opportunity to Escape From Life For some, the first introduction to a “she shed” comes courtesy of a hilarious State Farm TV commercial, in which these inspired words were uttered: “Well, it finally happened, Zachary, somebody burned down my she shed.” No doubt it forced a double
Woman in Real Estate: 5 Important Facts
We’re Celebrating Women in Real Estate With These Five Important Facts Over the past 40 years, female real estate agents have come to dominate the residential real estate market, but it wasn’t always that way. When the National Association of REALTORS® was created in 1908, the group admitted zero female real estate agents. Over the years, a
Building Your Real Estate Team From Scratch
Unleash Your Career Growth Potential by Creating a Real Estate Team Success in real estate is often a product of team effort. A great team will outperform an individual REALTOR® every single day of the week. Even if you’re a rainmaker, you won’t be able to take care of every lead that comes your way. Building a real
Study: What Jobs Are People Searching for Amid the Pandemic?
Americans Are Jumping Into These Five Key Industries With the pandemic continuing to infiltrate our everyday livelihoods, many people are considering a career change. Much of this desire for change centers on the high unemployment rate debilitating our economy’s growth. A recent Google Trends report backs up this statement; there’s a clear surge in people searching
Making the Leap From Commercial Real Estate into Residential
Leaving Commercial Real Estate for Residential Has Its Benefits With COVID-19 still ravaging society, many people are reconsidering their careers. This Great Pause is allowing professionals across all industries to take a step back and think to themselves, “Is this what I really want to be doing with my life?” When it comes to commercial real estate agents,
Don’t Shoot The Tax Man: What Reform is Coming in 2021
What You Need to Know for the Upcoming 2021 Tax Season While 2020 may be behind us, the lingering demons known as last year’s taxes still meander in the dark depths of our minds. COVID-19’s impact on how you prepare your IRS bill is unique, which is why getting ahead on your taxes now will help you
4 Ways to Address Bias Against LGBTQ Clients in Real Estate
Learn These 4 Steps to Better Serve LGBTQ Clients LGBTQ homeseekers often face an uncertain journey when going through the home search and buying process. Like most minority identity groups, they are at significant risk of discrimination. Take homeownership - LGBTQ individuals are roughly 15% less likely to be homeowners than heterosexuals. Discrimination can manifest itself in a
Sleep Where You Work: How WFH is Changing the Modern Home
How Will the Modern Home Change With Everyone Working From Home? According to a recent Stanford study, 42% of the U.S. workforce has been working remotely full-time since the initial COVID-19 lockdowns began. A smaller study that surveyed 1,022 professionals claims that, of that number, 29% would quit their jobs if they had to strap on their
How Do 1031 Exchanges Work?
Learn the Ins and Outs of How 1031 Exchanges Work in Real Estate Despite all the political hoopla of the past year, we can all agree that taxes are despicable. There’s nothing more depressing than opening a pay stub and seeing Uncle Sam taking a big ole chunk of your hard-earned money. But while taxes may be
5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Become a Real Estate Agent
You Need to Read This Before Deciding to Become a Real Estate Agent Oh thank the heavens, you have found this blog. While you may not know it yet, we have saved you from making a life-altering and tragic decision. We can probably get past all the small talk and pleasantries and assume you’re considering a career
2020: 10 Best Real Estate Facts Agents Need to Know
These Are the 2020 Facts Agents Need to Know for Their Careers Regardless of COVID-19, the residential real estate market has been red hot the past year. Markets around the country have seen record numbers, including a big increase in home value and a drop in average days listed. Much of this can be attributed to an
How to Write the Perfect Holiday Card for Clients
Make Holiday Magic When Writing Your Customized Holiday Cards this Season The written letter has become a lost art for many. When you have other more efficient methods like email, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, text message, and that witchcraft telephone created by the famous inventor Alexander Graham Bell (or Antonio Meucci, depending on who you ask),
Coronavirus: Which Housing Markets Are Recovering?
Tight Housing Inventory & Historically-Low Mortgage Rates Fuel the U.S. Housing Recovery A recent report from Realtor.com indicates that as states slowly reopen their economy, the once-stagnant housing market has begun to surge. Two contributing factors to this rise can be pinpointed to the 30-Year Mortgage Rates hitting historic lows (2.86 percent) and a more competitive housing
Around The World: What Does $500,000 Get You in Real Estate?
When Purchasing a Home Around the World, How Far Does $500,000 Go? As many of us are stuck at home, we could all use a virtual vacation, and what better way to “travel” than to look into real estate in countries outside of the U.S.? Markets across the globe differ in relation to the demand and influences
How Much Money Can You Make Flipping Homes?
Making Money Flipping Homes Can Exponentially Increase Your Yearly Income If you’re trying to become or currently are a real estate agent, there’s probably a good chance you’ve stumbled upon one of the millions of home renovation shows and thought to yourself, “Heck, I can do that.” You probably have most of the skills you need to
4 Bloodcurdling Haunted House Stories Told by Real Estate Agents
WARNING: THESE STORIES WILL HAUNT YOU LONG AFTER YOU STOP READING One of our favorite things about real estate agents is how great they are at storytelling. And when you combine our favorite holiday of Halloween with that skill, you receive the most terrifying tales that’ll scare the living you-know-what out of you. Due to the success
How to Schedule Your Day as a Real Estate Agent
Troy Palmquist Explains How He Schedules His Busy Day as a Real Estate Agent Being a steward of real estate is a noble profession, albeit one that moves at the speed of light. How many businesses require expert transaction knowledge, unmatched salesmanship, solid people skills, and the ability to manage complex situations in short time frames with
5 Reasons Why Real Estate Agents Should Use Virtual Reality
Discover the Benefits of Inserting Real Estate VR Into Your Practice With the onset of COVID-19, technology in real estate has quickly gained traction, including real estate VR. Over the past few years, many brokerages and individual agents have incorporated new technologies, but adoption was few and far between. Now, as people stay at home and rely
The Comprehensive Guide to Getting Your Real Estate License & Starting Your Career
Why Should I Get Into Real Estate? Obtaining your real estate license is a challenging and rewarding experience that consists of more than just a few real estate courses, an exam, and meeting your state’s requirement for real estate licensure — it’s an investment in a career that lets you set your own schedule, be your own
The Ins and Outs of Handling Difficult Clients
Don't Let A Difficult Client Disrupt Your Business Working with a challenging client is something every real estate agent experiences. If you’re properly prepared, even the most frustrating clients won’t intimidate you. Below are just a few ways to help you navigate the complications of working with a difficult client without exacerbating the situation
Real Estate’s Golf Course Dilemma
What to Expect When Investing in Real Estate on a Golf Course. For some, living on a golf course is the dream: magnificent views look out onto transcendent lime greens while listening to the sound of innocent birds chirping their own nature’s tune. “Ahh, tranquility”
What Is Racial Steering & How Real Estate Agents Can Stop It
Stopping Racial Steering Begins with Real Estate Agents The development of racially segregated neighborhoods has dated back to the beginning of American history. Most of the nation’s modern housing problems we see today are a result of biased zoning laws from the 1920s and ‘30s and the urban renewal laws of the ‘40s and ‘50s. It wasn’t
Life After COVID-19: What Should Real Estate Agents Expect
What Will Real Estate Look Like After COVID-19? Real estate agents are understandably concerned about how COVID-19 will affect day-to-day life. The death of the handshake. Wearing masks to PTA events. People actually washing their hands after using the bathroom (for a change). Life after coronavirus may be hard to imagine. The way this pandemic has tarnished our
A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Creating Marketable Content
Content is king. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Creating killer content engages your audience and makes them aware of who you are and what you do (i.e. Your Story). It’s a crucial part of social media, email marketing, and other digital marketing methods, and has somewhat replaced other mediums of entertainment, like
10 Tips for Starting Your New Career as A Real Estate Agent
Follow This Advice for Your New Career as an Agent When you finish your Pre-Licensing courses and get licensed you’ll likely ask yourself “What’s next?” It’s probably one of the biggest questions we hear from new agents and our affiliates. The best thing you can do is get your feet wet and embrace the challenge. And the
How the Car You Drive Impacts Your Real Estate Business
Impress Your Clients and Boost Your Confidence There are many moving pieces that attribute to marketing when you’re operating your own business. In the beginning, half the battle is marketing yourself, but as you gain experience in your career, you learn more and more ways to develop and improve your presentation. Today, we’ll focus on one aspect:
Real Estate by the Season: Summer Success
What good is the warmth of Summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? - John Steinbeck The housing market is often defined by seasonality. Home buying and selling pick up in the summer, sales slow down in the winter, but no matter the season, you’re working hard to serve the needs of your
What Makes A Home Luxurious?
Determining What Constitutes a Luxury Home is More Complex than You Think Have you ever mindlessly daydreamed about what it would be like to own or sell a luxury home? Yeah, well us too. These magnificent mansions bewilder our imaginations: Olympic-sized indoor swimming pools adjacent to basketball courts next to professional kitchens suited for a chef. Who thinks
How (and Why) You Should Quit Your Job for a Real Estate Career
Quit Your Job in Style with These 5 Suggestions There are many reasons why you may be considering leaving your job and going into real estate. Some of those reasons may be to: Pursue an Independent Career Become Your Own Boss Not Be Limited by Vertical Hierarchies Drop the 9-5 and Have Scheduling Flexibility Have a Limitless Salary Cap Let’s be real though.
How Military Experience Translates Into Real Estate Expertise
How Military Experience Translates Into Real Estate Expertise The real estate industry is full of exciting innovations, opportunities for career growth, and new connections. If you are a veteran looking for your next career move, real estate might be the perfect transition. It offers a flexible schedule, a low barrier to entry, and the ability to help
Real Estate Agent and Personal Finance: 3 Must-Have Apps
Save Money With These 3 Tax and Personal Finance Apps Launching a brand-new career in real estate comes with its difficulties. For one, you’ll have to invest your time and money into completing your licensing courses and an exam prep course to help you review all you need to know for the state and national exam. Once
Six Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp Working in Real Estate
SHARPEN YOUR BRAIN FOR WORKING IN REAL ESTATE When it comes to the human mind, you either need to use it or you’ll lose it. It’s not just a statement people make, but an actual fact as proven by MRI images of brain atrophy. Fortunately, working as a real estate agent requires you to “use it” when completing
6 Strategic Partners Real Estate Agents Must Have
Do Real Estate Agents Need Strategic Partners? While a career in real estate is a fully-rewarding and independent career, successfully helping your clients from the beginning of the home acquisition process until the end requires developing different partnerships with local businesses in order to best help your clients. Many new real estate agents like yourself may not know
Keep up With Your Career During Summer Months
"Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something." - Regina Brett We all know that sensation when summer is in the air. You can feel the warmth on your skin and the humidity lingering in the atmosphere. When the summer season starts, sometimes the last thing we
3 Advantages To Pursing A Part-time Career in Real Estate
A Part-Time Career in Real Estate is Advantageous for Many New to the Industry Many people considering a job in real estate may have several concerns about time management going into the profession, as well as generating a steady income, having free time around the holidays, and balancing work and home with their families. When it comes
The Benefits of a Real Estate Agent Career
Discover the Skills and Benefits You'll Develop as a Real Estate Agent If you’re reading this article, you’ve either quit your job––hopefully not like this guy––or you’re on the verge of making a career change into real estate. That’s awesome. You’ve just completed the hardest task of telling yourself, “I want to do something worthwhile” and then
