Tag Archives: connections

The Little Dream That Came True

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You may have noticed some new posts from fellow agents on this site.  I am enjoying getting different perspectives for you.  I hope you are enjoying them as well. I have to give a shout out to Emily, Sarah and Seth for the great post they have written.

Recently I have noticed from the site stats that people are actually searching for this site now.  This is huge to me.  All the hopes for this site are coming true.

I began this site back in 2007.  Not really sure what I planned to do with it.  I was just frustrated with being a new agent and not knowing what the heck to do.

As I began blogging and people began reading it, I received comments from other agents thanking me.  At the time, not many agents were blogging about real life experiences.  Speaking the truth has always been something I am good at! I think agent valued the fact that I didn’t hold much back. It was something you really could not get at a training class.

It was then, I realized what this blog was all about…LEARNING.  I began working harder to bring agents information that I thought they could use. At the same time, I was learning and growing as an agent as well.

I decided to take on the new authors to get different views.  This is in an effort to bring you more.  I hope you are enjoying them.

To those of you, who have supported the site, THANK YOU!  I do not do this out of vanity or trying to build some persona. I do this because I genuinely want to help.  This has become something that is very important to me and I hope to continue providing valuable information to you!

Thanks to all of you for helping me realize a dream.  I have truly enjoyed the experience.

A Newbie at This

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So I am a newbie to Real Estate.  I have been doing it for less than 6 months now.  I have some leads and do a lot of networking and social networking, but no sales yet.  I come from a background of life insurance, which is a much quicker sale (most of the time). Plus you get more referrals in an easier manner in insurance.  Selling real estate is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Some how I thought it would be more like life insurance. Don’t ask me why, but I did.  Although the lead numbers are the same.  In insurance they call it the 10-3-1 philosophy.  Which is the same for real estate, 10 leads for 3 customers for 1 sale. Which is why I am working as hard as I can to get as many leads in the funnel as possible.  I have told everyone I know, even all my past insurance clients and contacts that I am in this business. I have already gone through 500 business cards (I hand them out to everyone I see).  One problem is I am new to the area I am selling in.  I live in North Carolina on the border of NC/SC on the coast, but the Grand Strand area seems to a more moving area than NC, so I decided to get licensed in SC (it was also cheaper).  The problem, especially in the beginning, is that I don’t know enough about all the neighborhoods down here.  So I have been doing a lot of driving around to learn more.  Luckily, some of the veterans in the office have let me advertise their listings on my facebook fan page and Craig’s List.   Plus I am have doing a lot of floor duty.  It is a strange idea and I am starting to get a few leads from it, but our office does open house floor duty. We take our listings and do open houses M-W-F; two different listings each day for four hours. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. At least we have a wireless internet card.  Which is good because on days where no one comes by you can still get emailed new leads that have come into the office and do all the other work that you have to do.  But I have been trying out all sorts of things, from a facebook fan page and ads, to Craig’s List, to target direct marketing, to now open houses. I have done 1 weekend open house, but that did not go well. I have been to other open houses to see how other agents hold theirs to learn more. I just tell them that I am an agent looking for a condo or home for a customer, which may or may not be true at that moment. You never know though I could go into a house on a Saturday and get a lead Monday that fits the house I just saw. I also ask them questions about the business so that I can learn even more.  I really thought before entering this business that after close to 6 months I would have made a sale.  I have been told by my mentor that in this business and this market, even down here in Myrtle Beach, it can take up to 9 months or longer to make your first sale, especially when people don’t know you. Which is why I am on every committee I can find and have gone through those 500 business cards.  I am also finding out that this job takes a lot more work than insurance. Even if I am working from home, I am working hard non-stop from 9-5 or sometimes later, most of the time it is later.  It is starting to drive my husband crazy about how much I work. I am reading How to List and Sell and read the Millionaire Real Estate Agent. I am going to give a try at FSBO’s.  From some LinkedIn groups I am in, some say they have gotten a lot of business from FSBO’s and some say they haven’t.  But being new, I am desperate so I will try anything.  I am also hoping to meet more people who work with real estate agents so I can network and create a working relationship with them. A quid-pro-quo so to say. Real Estate looks so easy; it looks like an easy life style.  But I have quickly learned that is not the case.  This is much harder and a lot more work than I ever imagined.

Agent Feature-Nick Baldwin of Just Married Real Estate

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Nick Baldwin, Founder of Just Married Real Estate

 

I connected a few years ago with Nick Baldwin.  He was a fairly new agent with Keller Williams in Montclair, NJ.

I have noticed him over the past year or so, really standing out over other agents.   He seemed to connect with people in such a way that his business has grown tremendously.  

  

I recently interview him on his most recent venture is Just Married Real EstateSM .    I recently interviewed him on his new venture.  The future looks promising!

 

 1. When was JMRE started?

Just Married Real EstateSM  just sort of came to me about a year ago. Actually, right around the time that my wife, Anne, and I were    getting married.

2.  Whats your background in real estate?

I am coming up on my third year in real estate this year. There are a couple of reasons I started my career as a Realtor. One, is because my mother, Roberta Baldwin, has been a Realtor for 15 years and she already had a very established team called The Baldwin Dream Team. We are now working out of Keller Williams Realty in Montclair, NJ. The other reason was, as my relationship with my now wife grew more serious, she wanted me to pick a career path that had more of a solid future. Needless to say, three years later, I’m still doing this. I entered the job at a very shaky time for the country financially, and I managed to close 13 transactions my first year.

3.  What areas/communities to you currently serve?
Right now, I’m primarily serving all of Essex, and parts of Morris, Union, and Bergen Counties in New Jersey.
4.  How did the idea of JMRE come to fruition?
 
My wife and I noticed that many of her friends that were getting married in Michigan (her home state) were buying homes very soon after the wedding. Not to mention, about 60% of my client base is young couples in their late 20′s to early to mid 30′s, who have been married two years or less. Then it dawned on me that there should be a real estate service geared towards them, and only them, to help them step by step through the home buying process. As a newlywed myself, I can totally relate to them on this level. 
5.  What products and services to you offer
 
We don’t offer physical products, although I may be giving away some coffee mugs. HAHA!!! This service is focused on helping the newlywed make smart choices in today’s market, especially financially. A wedding can be draining on the bank account, so buying a home that still gives you room to breathe is very important. On the website we have mortgage calculators to help them make these wise decisions. Also, chosing the town that they are most comfortable with, with a school district that’s right for their children is something else that I will guide them through. I also have a full MLS feature on the site that will give them up to the minute info on any property currently listed for sale in the Garden State MLS. Or, if they are still planning their wedding at the same time as their home search, I have a feature on the site where they can fill out a short questionnaire about what they are looking for in a new home, and I will take that information and search for homes for them so they can be focused on planning their big day.
6. Why focus on couples that are getting married or are just married?
The reason I am focusing on these couples is because these are people who are going through a big moment in their lives. They are making a lifelong commitment to each other and they deserve the extra attention from a service that is meant for them. There are Realtors out there that brand themselves so many different things. “The Millionaire Realtor,” “The Celebrity Realtor,” and whatever else you can come up with. Newlyweds are a huge market. A lot of people get married and they deserve someone who is basically their  Realtor.  
 7 . What do yo think sets you apart from your competition
 
I believe the fact that I am in the same boat as they are gives me the upper hand. Granted, I won’t be a newlywed forever, but when the average age if a Realtor is 51, I’ve got many, many years of JMRE ahead of me.
8. What technology tools do you use as part of the business
I am huge on my BlackBerry usage, so smart phones are a must. In a world of texting, BBM, e-mail, instant message, Facebook, twitter…the list goes on…I am always quick to respond. The new BlackBerry Tablet is being released soon as well, so I will be able to take the MLS with me on the go when I’m with clients. Technology is evolving everyday and it’s important for me to keep up with it to help the business grow.
9.  What does the future look like for JMRE
The future looks very bright! In the short time that the service has been out there, it’s been getting a lot of positive, local attention. I officially trade marked the name and the logo, so I am now able to give it the big push I have been waiting for. My goal for the service is to expand nationally – to have a network of Realtors connected to the Just Married Real EstateSM service. People get married all over the USA, so why not have a Just Married Real EstateSM in every major housing market? It just makes sense!
10. Anything else you would like to share?
Just that this is the perfect time for newlywed couples to buy. Interest rates are low and the country is “on sale.” In some cases, you can own for the same price as renting. Sometimes less. Like a marriage, buying a house takes a lot of compromise, so couples should be ready to give and take. ”You Found the Key to Your Heart, Now Find the Key to Your Home,”
with Just Married Real Estate SM
In my opinion, Nick’s idea is brilliant.   Not only is he marketing to a continually growing niche, but he is doing it in an innovative way.   He is branding himself as the expert in the area of newlyweds.  Not only that, but he owns rights to the name, “Just Married Real Estate“ .  This in its self gives him an edge.   It also has the potential for national franchising/networking.  
This is another great case for branding.   Nick completely understands the needs and wants of his costumers.  He’s creating an identity.  He is also being real.  He can directly relate to his consumer and will understand the challenges and fears his consumers have.  This is always something to remember. 

Finding people that support you professionally

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One important lesson that I have learned lately, is that you can’t always find support in your office.   When I moved to Edina Realty a few years back, I knew the majority of the agents in my office.   I thought, hey this will be a great office for me to work in.   But just like many offices, people are generally more geared towards support their own business.  

I started to look else where.   I found the YoPro’s through the Minneapolis Association of Realtors and that has been a tremendous help!  

I also found a huge network of people throughout the Twin Cities tat all support each other.   I found these people through Twitter.    This proves that social media does work.   My opportunities have grown so much because of the people I have chosen to connect with.   It amazing how my business and my focus has changed.