Top 10 Articles from January

Making 2015 the best year it possibly can be is a theme that runs through our list of the most popular articles from January. The latest edition of our monthly coutdown includes all three parts our "preparing your business" Friday Freebie series. Each article features a free download that you can use to organize your business, set goals for 2015, and develop an achievable plan to meet those goals.

Checklists and mobile app suggestions were other popular items in January. But don't think it's too late to put into practice the suggestions you'll encounter in the list below! 2015 is still young and you still have every opportunity to meet and exceed the goals you've set for yourself. Read on for some needed inspiration.

1. 15 Remarkable Apps for your Real Estate Business
Our phones and the apps we use have become central to our daily productivity. Some apps streamline an existing process, or simplify a task, while others introduce new services we never thought we'd use on our phones. What's great about each app is the freedom and anytime access it affords us. With 2015 underway, I'd like to share 15 fresh and powerful apps that should be on every Real Estate agent's phone.

2. January To-Do List for Real Estate Agents
Happy New Year, agents! We wish you all a very prosperous 2015. To help you get started on the right foot, we've created this easy, week-by-week to-do list for the month of January. These weekly tasks will clear out last year's clutter and position you to close more sales than ever before.

3. 5 Most-Loved Listing Photos and Best Practices for Capturing Them
If you really want buyers to fall in love with your listings in 2015, you need to make a mega-splash with your online listing photos. Trulia research shows that visitors not only spend most of their time on our site looking at photos, but also that when it comes to pictures, having a single shot from your cell phone is not enough. To create the listing love you need to sell during this market season, follow these five simple tips.

4. Friday Freebie: 15 Tasks to Get Your Business Ready for 2015
It's our first Friday Freebie of the new year, and the first in a "freebie" Friday Freebie: 2015 Real Estate Business Planseries that focuses on preparing for success in 2015. We're breaking you in easy with a simple 15-task checklist that will have your business running like an efficient, well-oiled machine. By breaking down the work of preparing for the new year into small, manageable tasks, you won't get overwhelmed and give up before even starting.

5. Top Things Millennials Want in an Agent
The projected Millennial home buyers for 2015 are those in their mid 20s. They have grown up on technology and know how to Google like a pro. So where does that leave you as an agent? Your greatest real estate tools this year will be how well you can relate, communicate, and use technology with your Millennial clients. What are some of the top things Millennial home buyers appreciate?

6. 5 Tasks Every Real Estate Agent Should Complete Before Month's End
January is in full-swing, so it's time to jumpstart your success for the year ahead. Check these five items off your to-do list this month to get back on track and prepare yourself for a productive 2015.

7. Friday Freebie: 2015 Real Estate Business Plan
We continue our series of "Freebies" that prep you for the new year. This week, we're kicking it up a notch with a free, full-on business plan (complete with worksheets!). This is three dozen pages of content and worksheets designed to methodically assist you in determining realistic goals and how to achieve them. Success is within your grasp in 2015!

8. Friday Freebie: 2015 Marketing Plan
This is the third and final part of our series of "freebies" designed to help your business start 2015 strong. The 2015 Marketing Plan is full of worksheets that help you determine things like target audience, key channels, messaging, budget and more. Get pages of marketing advice, questions to ask, and beyond when you download this free guide.

9. 9 Ways to Avoid Getting "Locked Up" in Facebook's Jail
Posting links to drive users back to your site, sending out Facebook messages to a group of your past clients and connecting with people who may be outside of your normal group of "connections" seems like standard practice right? Well, if you're doing any of these activities on a regular basis, then you could end up landing in "Facebook Jail." Here are nine ways to avoid getting "locked up" by staying in the good graces of the fine folks at Facebook.

10. How to Spend Less on AdWords and Get Better Leads
Many real estate agents and brokers rely on AdWords as a way to put their business in front of consumers searching for homes online. It's an effective tool, to be sure, but using pay-per-click advertising without a deliberate strategy is a great way to spend a lot of money very quickly--and get unsatisfying results. Here's what can agents do to get more out of their AdWords investment.