Do Your Part in Eliminating Sexual Harassment from the Workplace
After a career that spans several decades, I am saddened to see that allegations of sexual harassment are still alive and well in our industry. I would have thought that we could have eliminated these challenges by now. After having completed my Sexual Harassment Prevention training myself just a couple of weeks ago, a program which is mandated by the state of California, it piqued my interest to find out how many states require sexual harassment prevention training. I was shocked to find out that only seven states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York, Washington) and the District of Columbia mandate sexual harassment training for some or all private sector employers and employees today. California requires sexual harassment training for all employees. Under the California Code, employers with at least five employees or contractors must provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees, including supervisory and nonsupervisory employees, every two years (CCR 12950.1). Even in California, however, a state VERY focused on sexual harassment prevention, employers are NOT required to provide sexual harassment prevention training to independent contractors. According to the Civil Rights Department of the State of California: Do employers need to train independent contractors, volunteers, and unpaid interns? No, but employers might consider doing so to be a best practice. However, in determining whether an employer meets the threshold of having 5 employees and is subject to the harassment prevention training requirement, independent contractors, volunteers, and unpaid interns are counted. For example, if an employer has 2 full time employees and 6 unpaid interns, the employer will meet the training threshold requirement and would need to ensure the two full time employees receive training. Just because few states require sexual harassment prevention training, and mandates exclude independent contractors, doesn't mean every brokerage, technology company, association and MLS and consulting firm should not proactively require it. For Mandate States: If you live in any of the states that mandate sexual harassment prevention training, make sure you are up to speed on the requirements and ensure you and your staff are fully compliant with the specific laws of your state. There are several options to provide FREE training. Some offered by the state government and other providers are available too. For Non-Mandate States: There is inexpensive online training available you can encourage/require each of your employees and independent contractors to complete. Below are some resources to get you started in your search for the right product for your organization. Here are some good articles and free resources from the Society of Human Resource Management. Here are some very inexpensive online training courses: Behave at Work – $29.95 Clear Law Institute – $10 Pro Trainings – $19.95 FREE Harassment Policy Language It goes without saying that every one of us must take responsibility for creating an environment where inappropriate behavior is not tolerated. Every one of us needs to do our part to eliminate sexual harassment forever. To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.

eXp Launches the eXp Luxury Design Center
eXp Realty is enhancing services and investments in its luxury division with the launch of the eXp Luxury Design Center and exclusive training. "We are dedicated to investing in our luxury agents through our forward-thinking eXp Luxury program that features industry-leading tools and innovative technologies," said Michael Valdes, Chief Growth Officer. "As the largest independent brokerage in the industry, our unique reach coupled with this luxury focus enables our agents to grow their business and provide unparalleled service to their clients." eXp Luxury Design Center offers high-quality marketing support The launch of the eXp Luxury Design Center provides agents with exclusive luxury-branded templates for print, mail, social media, signage and more. The Design Center allows agents to quickly edit, download and share assets from a single easy-to-use interface and order professional print and mail services directly from the application. Open workshops and member masterminds offer best-in-class training eXp Luxury agents will have access to several open workshops and member masterminds throughout the spring and summer focused on luxury networking. Top eXp Luxury agents will share insights for expanding a sphere of influence and building valuable relationships in affluent communities. Join the Upcoming 'Secrets of Luxury Networking' Workshop: Date: June 22, 2023Time: 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET Register here today!

Realtor Market Expert Q&A: Scarlett Green and Josh Taylor
In the spring of 2022, RPR's Broker Services Team put together a special training series for Howard Hanna agents. To receive their "RPR-Howard Hanna Market Expert" certificates, the agents were required to complete four classes on four different topics (available in an on-demand video webinar format available to them via the RPR blog). After each session, they were also asked to complete a "homework" assignment to get full credit. After four lessons and completed "homework," the agents received their certificate. They were also asked to fill out a survey, where they were asked to "Share Their Story" about their RPR training experience. In this Q&A, we speak to two RPR Howard Hanna Market Experts about their experiences taking the training, what they learned, and how they plan to apply their new RPR skills to their business. Scarlet Green Here's what Scarlet Green from Allen Tate Realtors, North Carolina had to say about the training sessions: I have been using RPR for months now and I love it!! Reasons why: 1) the more you use it, the easier and faster it becomes as the best and latest tool in real estate 2) the simplicity of RPR, user friendly 3) RPR offers so much info that you are able to choose exactly what you want/need so you may customize the reports/info for your client(s) 4) RPR offers material and info that are appropriate for both buyers and sellers! 5) Love having a mobile app that actually works! This app was well planned out and created to be user friendly. I also love that you are able to send the info the way your clients like to receive it; example, by text, email, airdrop, etc. I plan on continuing using RPR and appreciate all those who were involved in creating this. Thank you! Q. Hi Scarlett, thanks for joining us. How long have you been in real estate and what area do you specialize in? Ten years, I'm a residential agent, and I mostly work with sellers. A few buyers here and there… Q. How did you get introduced to RPR? Another agent in my office uses it. I heard that doorbell "ding," the sound effect from the reports being generated, and I wanted that! (LAUGHS) I love that doorbell chime of the notification. It's brilliant. It's the small things, you know? Then I started using it for doing comps. I love (and hate) doing comps, but RPR makes it easy. You can't go rogue, the program keeps you right on target. For clients, buying or selling a home is a milestone in life. And they trust us to watch their wallet through the process. I appreciate RPR for helping me create CMAs. Q. In the testimonial you sent us, you mentioned that RPR is simple. Can you give me an example? Sure, I was messing around in RPR last night… and I started looking into Opportunity Zones. As I started, these little prompts came up and I was able to follow along with the pink boxes. So helpful! It's a wizard/teacher to help and guide you. It helps me not waste time! Every time you get on RPR you learn something new, and the more you use it, the more knowledge you get for your clients. Q. You also mentioned the RPR app; how do you like using it? I love it. Whoever came up with it should teach other programmers how to create user friendly tech. I use it in the field all the time, because I can easily pull stuff up. I can instantly send reports and answers to my customers. I have the tech in my hands and it works every time. Tech that works makes me a huge RPR advocate! Q. We love hearing that! What else did you get from the training? Basically, I felt refreshed about navigating the comps and it gave me more confidence. I now tell other agents that I can't believe they're not using RPR. It's a whole different level of experience in real estate. Josh Taylor Josh Taylor from Howard Hanna Pennsylvania had this to say about his Market Expert training series: I'm a newer agent and still learning and growing everyday. I have really enjoyed this series as an introduction to getting more in-depth with RPR. I have used the research pieces and some of the reports already, but I have many new ideas now. I have learned how to drill down in a much better and more efficient way. I love the micro-neighborhood reports to really have that access to learning about even the smaller neighborhoods in my area. RPR helps me to present my expertise and show clients the knowledge base that I have access to in order to show my value add for them. Thank you for this learning opportunity and I look forward to learning more! Q. How long have you been practicing real estate Josh, and what area do you work in? Just over a year and a half, and I work in residential. Q. How did you get introduced to RPR? I had used it on my own a bit, and I was getting monthly emails about the training and webinars from my brokerage, NAR, etc. But I must admit, this Market Expert series was more of an incentive, the certificate was appealing. As a new agent I need help learning CMAs and RPR helps with that in a lot of ways. Q. You mentioned new ideas for using RPR, how are you doing that? So many! I didn't know about mailing labels, or how to search neighborhoods and subdivisions for specific owners. It's great for direct mailings and new listings. Drilling down into neighborhoods and uncovering the demographics, that stuff is really helpful. I like using the neighborhood search and the neighborhood reports. And the maps are great for prospecting. I've used that a few times since the training took place. Q. How does RPR help you in your business? I like that the CMA has different ways to achieve the goal to get the right pricing. Some info is outdated and you can add updates to the home using the Refine Value tool. That gives me a framework to the price, and then I can pull up really specific values and features, like a pool. The flexibility is controlled, and I get more accurate results using RPR than just my MLS. The other thing I really like is when you print something from RPR, the branding and the cleanliness of the report is important. And that it looks like it comes from me! Having my picture and my information in the reports makes it well branded. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Keller Williams Launches Real Estate Planner Community
Keller Williams (KW) has launched the KW Real Estate Planner community for agents to train and mastermind on providing clients with wealth management services. "As the housing market continues to shift, we're leaning heavily into the value of business communities to enable our real estate entrepreneurs the opportunity to thrive," said Sajag Patel, chief operating officer, KW. "As part of a community, our agents are gaining a greater sense of connection, empowerment and impact while staying focused on business growth." KW Real Estate Planner (REP) is a community based around certification, training and networking opportunities for agents to grow and mastermind skills on wealth management for their clients. An emerging community, KW REP is led by Dan Ihara, who serves as its director. Ihara is also the founder of the Honolulu, Hawaii-based The Ihara Team. "KW Real Estate Planner is a new community designed to help our Keller Williams agents help their clients build wealth and transfer wealth," said Ihara. "Agents can elevate their game from being a very good, seasoned real estate agent to a real estate planner that the wealthy will look at for advice." Training Momentum Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), a community for business growth using diversity and inclusion best practices, has also launched monthly masterminds. The new DEI masterminds are conducted with leaders from KW's Social Equity Task Force and KW agent-led affinity groups, such as the Hispanic Leaders of Real Estate, KW Black Real Estate Network, KW CHISPA, KW Pan-Asian Group, KW Rainbow Network, KW Signs, and the Lady Leaders of Real Estate. KW New Homes, a community for business growth opportunities in new construction and land development, has launched new modular training. The training is focused on the best practices of supporting buyers with new construction buys, earning additional builder business and solidifying land developer partnerships. KW agents who join a KW community have access to specialized training, technology, coaching, mastermind events and referral opportunities. More information on KW's communities is available at communities.kw.com/community/.

Keller Williams and Kaplan Launch Real Estate School
Keller Williams (KW) has partnered with Kaplan, one of the world's most diversified global education organizations, to create the KW School of Real Estate (KSCORE), a national, first-of-its-kind, fully-digital real estate training program. "We're very excited to be partnered with Kaplan Real Estate Education, renowned for its training and educational services expertise, as we launch our KW School of Real Estate," said Marc King, president, KW. "The synergy of KW and Kaplan, two world-class brands in training and education, will transform how our industry provides education for today's aspiring real estate agents." Through the partnership, KSCORE will offer a state-approved prelicensing curriculum, via Kaplan Real Estate Education, for aspiring real estate agents and continued real estate education credits for existing agents. Kaplan Real Estate Education's platform offers distinct education-delivery formats, including home study, online, and live online courses, along with flexible schedules and a wide selection of state-approved courses and packages. A trailblazing real estate school offering, KSCORE will also offer business and professional development strategies. Students will have access to tools, tips, and personalized coaching built on KW's award-winning training and coaching programs. Through the state-approved licensing provided by Kaplan Real Estate Education and ongoing training of new real estate agents via KSCORE, KW aims to bring the industry's real estate agent population more in line with the demographic breakdown of the U.S. population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and Data USA, 6% of all real estate agents and brokers are Black, compared to 12% of the U.S. population that identified as Black; 8% of agents and brokers are Hispanic, compared to 12% of the U.S. population; and 4% are Asian, compared to 6% of the population. "Through financial assistance opportunities offered via our market centers, we're seeking to balance the racial makeup of our industry with that of the general population," said King. "We see this deliberate effort as crucial to closing the homeownership gap for historically marginalized communities in our country." "This innovative and comprehensive real estate education and training program positions Keller Williams at the front door of the industry," said Toby Schifsky, executive director, Kaplan Real Estate Education. "Kaplan's enterprise licensing solution helps Keller Williams eliminate several significant friction points in their new agent onboarding process. The commitment from Keller Williams to their new agents is significant, and we look forward to providing positive student outcomes for each of them." Molly de Mattos, tapped as "dean" of KSCORE, has been an active real estate agent since 2005. De Mattos continues to serve as an instructor for Keller Williams University, a coach for KW MAPS Coaching, the coaching division of KW, and as a co-owner of The Matt & Molly Team, an Asheville, North Carolina-based real estate team. "Beginning in 2022, we expect to add more than 15,000 new agents annually to Keller Williams and our industry with this program," said de Mattos. "Through this critical endeavor, we will make entry into real estate more accessible than ever before." "KSCORE represents our most forward-looking and aggressive step we're taking as a brand to match our actions to the strong commitment we've made to our diversity, equity and inclusion goals," said de Mattos. Currently more than 250 KW market centers are actively part of the phase-one rollout of KSCORE. The brand expects that number to increase to more than 500 market centers by early 2022 when the school is expected to be operational in 24 states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. KW and Kaplan Real Estate Education have plans to further scale rapidly nationwide.

Broker/Owners Depend on RPR for Easy, No-cost Agent Training
Successful brokers and owners are constantly searching for ways to keep their agents sharp, up-to-date and, ultimately, profitable. If that describes you, then search no further: RPR provides easy, cost-effective ways to train your agents. RPR, a member benefit of NAR, provides agents with data, tools and reports to help them "wow" their clients and close more deals. However, RPR also provides access to high quality learning opportunities for its users at no cost whatsoever. As a broker, you can leverage a wide selection of videos, webinars and guides for: New agent orientation meetings Fostering and furthering professional development Office "refresher" courses on building CMAs, new client prospecting, mailing labels, etc. A remote, work from home way to sharpen and learn new skills On-demand video series: "The Basics & Beyond" The perfect place to start with agent training is RPR's "Basics and Beyond" Learning Series. This collection of brief videos offers a high level overview of all the features, tools and capabilities that RPR offers to REALTORS®. Play the whole series at office meetings, during new member onboarding, or offer it as "homework" to seasoned agents, who can easily watch them remotely from their phone or computer. This video series is a great way to see how the site looks, feels and functions. It's basically the ground floor on how much RPR has to offer and why it's in your agents' best interest to tap into all of the property data available to them. They'll learn the basics of creating their accounts and executing property searches, to more intermediate features such as map searches and creating property reports. Pro Tip: Each video in the "Basics & Beyond" series also features an accompanying Printable Guide. These handy "cheat sheets" give you everything covered in the video, in a step-by-step, easy to follow handout. No need to take notes—just watch the video and refer to the guide. The RPR Learning Center Another solid resource is RPR's Learning Center. Here agents can sign up for live, national webinars from a wide range of topics. This page also features on-demand learning videos, printable guides and downloadable eBooks. Agents can simply use the navigation checkboxes on the left to choose educational offerings based on time, skill level, topics and learning type. Broker learning options Learning to use RPR isn't just for agents! With RPR's Broker Tools, brokerages can sign up and receive access to a slew of business-building tools and features. RPR has recently introduced a whole set of new Broker/Owner-focused printables to help you better understand and utilize your RPR Broker Tools. Get step-by-step instructions on how to change or update an offering, how to create custom pages, how to install our AVM widget, plus tips on implementing Deep Links. Also just released is a series of "Quick Tip Videos," each one running about one to two minutes long. These show broker/owners and office managers how to use Company Branding, Adding Custom Pages, the Broker AVM widget, Affiliated Services and Deep Links to their advantage. As you can see, RPR provides several different ways to keep agents (and brokers!) up to speed so they can get down to business. If you have any questions about how to use RPR or any of the available learning resources, call our Member Support line at (877) 977-7576. To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.

Redfin Launches Career Accelerator Program to Bring New, Diverse Talent into the Real Estate Industry
Redfin announced it has launched a career accelerator program to hire and train 50 new real estate agents in the Seattle and Washington, D.C. metro areas. This program is designed for people from outside the real estate industry to successfully transition into a full-time, real estate career. Unlike most agents who work as independent contractors, earning commissions from home sales, Redfin agents are employees who earn a base salary and bonuses for every transaction. Redfin also provides comprehensive benefits, including health insurance and paid leave. In 2020, Redfin agents earned a median income of $112,200. That is more than double the median gross income of $43,330 earned by a typical Realtor in 2020, according to research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Redfin agents earn an average of $63,000 in their first year at the company. Realtors with two years of experience or less earned a median gross income of just $8,500 in 2020, according to NAR. "Typically, you need to spend money to make money in real estate and new agents often rack up debt on dues, fees, marketing and technology costs before they sell a house or earn a penny. The career accelerator program gives new agents everything they need to thrive in their first year: a salary and benefits, training, team support, introductions to customers, and a $1,500 signing bonus to make the transition easier," said Kathryn Rion, senior director of real estate operations. "Many people who want to pursue a real estate career are dissuaded by the start-up costs, financial insecurity, lack of benefits, and sink or swim mentality that is common in the industry," Rion continued. "By providing on-the-job training and eliminating hurdles and expenses for new agents, we hope to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to join us in our mission to redefine real estate in the consumer's favor. You shouldn't have to dig into savings or go into debt or forgo health care just to get started in real estate." Participants in the career accelerator program will receive comprehensive training and individual coaching to learn everything required to become a successful agent, including customer service, real estate contracts, negotiation and transaction management. Each agent-in-training will be supported by a team and local manager focused on their career success. An experienced local trainer will coach new agents through their first three transactions. Like all Redfin agents, agents-in-training will have access to Redfin's leading technology platform and will have the opportunity to meet serious customers through Redfin's site so they can start growing their business right away. The program is accepting applications through August. Once accepted, participants will have until the end of October to complete their licensing coursework and pass the licensing exam. Once licensed, participants will start in November as full-time real estate agents with Redfin and receive a $1,500 signing bonus to cover the start-up costs and ease the transition. Because agents-in-training will start at the same time, they'll have the added benefit of learning together in a collaborative program. The career accelerator program is an addition to Redfin's ongoing agent recruitment and training efforts. The company is growing rapidly and hiring hundreds of agents across the country this year. Redfin offers a variety of real estate agent and support roles to fit candidates' career goals, skill sets and experience levels. "To keep up with our rapid growth, we need to develop talent from other industries as well as recent graduates," said Rion. "Folks with experience in retail, hospitality, sales, the military, and other industries bring transferable skills and valuable new perspectives to our business. We're excited to soon welcome our first cohort of agents-in-training in Seattle and Washington, D.C. and to get them started in a fulfilling career where they can make a meaningful impact on people's lives." Visit redfin.com/careers/real-estate to learn more about real estate opportunities at Redfin. Candidates can apply for the career accelerator program here: Washington, D.C. Maryland Virginia Seattle

RPR Launches New Shortcuts Menu for Guided Tours
RPR offers REALTORS exclusive access to property data, tools and reports. Being proficient in RPR can improve your productivity and efficiency, which can really impress your clients and help you stand out from your competitors. As the slogan goes, with RPR, you will "wow" your clients and close more deals. However, even though we continue to make RPR as user friendly and intuitive as possible, it is also very deep and quite detailed. And sometimes, even the most experienced users can get sidetracked. On the flip side, new users and beginners can also feel overwhelmed by all the data points and features available. RPR has heard this type of feedback from our users and we've come up with a smart way to help guide you along.

NAR Survey Signals Training Goals for Realtors Working from Home
In a recent article, we highlighted the leadership of one of America's top-performing brokerage operating officers and her guiding advice that success comes from training and preparation. You would not show up to run a marathon without adequate training to prepare. The National Association of Realtors published a quick survey last week called the NAR Flash Survey: Economic Pulse – April 2020. The survey was fielded for 24 hours from April 12-13, and the results are based on the approximately 2300 usable responses received. Most of the survey is related to buyer behavior, seller behavior, and closing behavior, but one of the key questions that we were struck by was related to technology:

Realogy Modernizes Agent and Broker Learning: Launches New Digitally Driven Learning Platform
Realogy Holdings Corp. announced the launch of its new dynamic, interactive and digitally driven Learning Platform for affiliated agents across a number of its well-known brands. The Learning Platform will be white-labeled for each brand and comes at no additional cost for affiliated agents and franchisees. CENTURY 21 University is the first Realogy brand learning portal to be upgraded, while the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Coldwell Banker and ERA brands will roll out their new learning platforms by year end.

Elevate Your Real Estate Marketing Success with an Elevate Educational Boot Camp
It's no secret that brokers and agents need to continually self-educate in order to stay competitive and tackle new technology, but not all education is made equal. Busy real estate professionals can easily waste time and money on "educational" training programs that are nothing more than thinly masked sales initiatives that provide little actionable takeaways. Luckily, there's the educational field team of Elevate to save the day and ensure that brokers and agents walk away with tips, tricks and strategies that can easily be implemented the moment they walk out of the room. What started with a single Social Media Boot Camp has grown into a nationwide phenomenon due to the Elevate Field Team's high-energy, interactive educational style. Brokers and agents alike are treated to an experience designed to inspire and empower, led by a group of industry professionals who help turn marketing "toys" into "tools." Although the Elevate name may be fairly new to the real estate space, the founders and stakeholders behind the company are seasoned professionals coming from top technology companies, franchise organizations, and investment firms who've joined together to develop Elevate, the highly anticipated CRM and digital marketing solution that recently hit the real estate market. But no technology can succeed without strong education, training and understanding, which is where the Elevate Boot Camp series enters. Collaborating with MLSs, mortgage companies and brokerages across the country, Elevate's Boot Camp series has evolved to include a variety of one-hour, two-hour and half day educational sessions, including the ever-popular Social Media Boot Camp, Secrets of Lead Generation Boot Camp, and the hot NEW Broker-Only Mastermind. Custom deep dives are also available on such hot topics as Facebook intensives, developing engaging content for consumer audiences, agent recruitment and retention strategies, and developing a website designed to capture and convert. Want to see if a boot camp is coming to your area? Visit tryelevate.com/events for the upcoming schedule, or call 844-812-8914 to inquire about booking a boot camp in your office or MLS. Bondilyn Jolly is the Managing Partner at 3sixtyfive.agency. You can contact her at [email protected].

3 Reasons Why Every Brokerage Should Schedule In-Office Trainings with Homesnap
This blog post was written by Homesnap MLS Account Manager Jordan Weiers, who attended this Homesnap event in Ohio in April 2019. There's something in the water at USA-1 Real Estate in Pataskala, Ohio. When Homesnap Trainer Jack Hanlon and I were greeted at the door with an ear-to-ear grin by broker Robert Teague, I had no idea we'd walk out an hour and a half later having trained the most enthusiastic crowd of agents I've ever encountered.

eXp Realty Trains Its Agents on RPR
It's no secret that REALTORS want to be wildly successful and close more deals. That's why RPR built the nation's largest property database. It's our goal to make every single practicing REALTOR aware of the data, tools and reports that are available to them at no extra cost, as a member benefit of NAR. Part of our strategy to reach members is to make connections and partnerships with major brokerages. One of our most recent brokerage success stories involves the rapidly growing, virtual, cloud-based brokerage eXp Realty.

eXp World Holdings Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire VirBELA
eXp is on the move again – big news from their EXPCON this week! Check out their press release below: NEW ORLEANS — Oct. 23, 2018 — eXp World Holdings, the holding company for eXp Realty, the largest residential real estate brokerage by geography in North America (NASDAQ: EXPI), today announced at its annual EXPCON conference that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire VirBELA, LLC's core group of products and services, and bring its team and technology in-house to the eXp World Holdings family of companies. The companies are working toward a definitive agreement, which is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Smart Charts: Using Visuals to Tell a Property's Story
Charts and graphs are often the best way to show trends and make comparisons between different groups. In real estate, they allow Realtors and customers to identify what's going on in any given market and to tell a property's story, all through visuals, which allows us to digest the information more readily than if presented in a textual format. Sometimes referred to "idealization tools," charts and graphs can also break up the monotony of a long report, allowing visual learners the opportunity to envision all aspects of their purchasing decision today and into the future.

10 Reasons Why You Should Stop Multitasking
Any business owner knows the importance of being a good multitasker. In truth, though, multitasking may not be your best option. Here are 10 reasons why you should stop multitasking and focus on one thing at a time. It Lowers Your IQ If you are doing nearly all administrative tasks for your company, it's time to stop. Some company owners manage, run payroll, hire, interview and work on finances. A better idea is to simply focus on the management part of your business.

RPR On-Demand Video Tutorials a Plus for Real Estate Pros
REALTORS®, broker brand managers and association staffers consistently reach out to RPR to request recorded versions of our webinars. We're happy to offer the recordings to participants, but did you know that RPR also offers on-demand video tutorials? In fact, these popular videos have been recently updated. How can RPR video tutorials help? To find out, we've surveyed three business professionals, each with different roles and perspectives. Here's their take on the matter: MEET OUR REAL ESTATE PROS #1: The REALTOR® Researching and identifying site use potential was easy for this St. Louis area REALTOR®. "The space is in an industrial area so I knew a sit down restaurant would cater to the area's working demographic," said Norma Nisbet, ALC, CCIM, CIPS, Vista Properties and Investments. With a quick look at RPR's Business Points of Interest (POI) video, Norma learned how to analyze nearby restaurants by type, annual sales, staffing levels and number of years in operation to determine how the new restaurant might fare against its competitors. Capturing this information within moments allowed Norma to then focus her attention on recruiting the right restaurant for her space.

5 Reasons Why You Should Attend Webinars
In this rapidly changing world, it is important to stay ahead of the game and continue to educate yourself. How many of us have had to learn a new skill or software to stay updated on current trends? How many times have you searched on Google and learned how to work with a particular software? How often have you been invited to attend a webinar regarding this software? How many times have you ignored it? Trust me when I tell you that I was skeptical, too, before attending my first webinar. But after I attended a couple, there was no looking back. Here are five reasons why you SHOULD attend webinars: 1. Convenience Webinars are a web seminar, which is a conference-style meeting that you can watch from your computer. It does not require you to step away from your desk and lets you learn from the comforts of your chair. Attending webinars does not involve travelling and therefore can be very cost effective. All you need is your computer and the Internet! 2. Topic Specific I know it is hard to take time from a busy schedule, but most webinars are short and would be topic-specific. You are able to attend a webinar and learn only a specific functionality of a product. Webinars are extremely handy in saving time and maximizing learning.

Attracting Online Consumers: Listings and Syndication
Last year, ListHub collaborated with The CE Shop to create a course to help educate real estate professionals about the nuances of listing syndication and how to attract online consumers. Now you can learn about syndication AND get credit for it! This new comprehensive course from The CE Shop is designed with the goal of helping brokers and agents make more informed decisions about syndication and data rights. Course highlights include: Tips for putting together an engaging listing description A review of key fair housing laws and how they affect listing descriptions How to get the best images for listings An overview of the risks and rewards of listing syndication Tips for selecting and working with a listing syndication provider An analysis of listing syndication agreements and clauses to watch for Questions to consider before signing away your listing data

Northwood Realty Launches Training Website for Their Agents
About Northwood Northwood Realty is among the largest independent real estate companies in America. They cover multiple states and their 38 offices are focused mainly on the densely populated areas of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. They are a full service firm with 974 agents, offering residential, finance, relocation, and insurance. Northwood is pioneering a program for agent training that introduces an effective model for other brokers to consider. It's called Northwood Tech Trainers. About Northwood Trainers Northwood deploys five field trainers to support just under 1000 agents.  The ratio is effectively one trainer to every 200 agents. The field trainers also have one supervisor, bringing their total department count to six. Tech trainers are assigned and integrated into offices and physically visit each office at least once a week. Agents can sign up for 30 or 60 minute sessions as often as they like, covering basically anything to do with technology—from the many Northwood programs, to helping setup a new phone or laptop, social networking and more. They are always available by telephone and email and additional tech support sessions can be held using JoinMe in group sessions or one on one with an agent/manager or admin.

Groundbreaking Agent Safety Class and Study Announced
Austin-based Real Safe Agent is providing the student and instructor guide of their new Realtor Safety course to agents, brokers, associations, and Multiple Listing Services free of charge. The training material is uniquely effective because it's based on criminology and predator profiling. "This info is the first I've seen that is realistic," said Elizabeth Cooper-Golden, broker/owner of @Homes Realty Group in Huntsville, AL. "I appreciate it so much." "Because this class could prevent an agent from being a victim, this is something you make free to all; not something for which you charge money," said Wes Wiggins, VP Industry Relations for Real Safe Agent. The materials are available for free on RE Technology and at the company's website. The class was developed by Real Safe Agent's CEO, Lee Goldstein, and based on his own experience working with violent predators, as well as studies by noted researchers like Lawrence Cohen, Marcus Felson, Kim Rossmo and Ronald Clarke. "Our goal was to provide agents with practical knowledge of how to make their marketing, themselves, the properties, and showings as unattractive as possible to a predator without sacrificing attractiveness to a legitimate buyer," said Lee Goldstein, CEO of Real Safe Agent. The intent of making the student guide and the instructor guide freely available is to allow MLSs, associations, and brokers to teach the class on their own without having to pay third parties. To help those who wish to use the class within their organization or association, the company will also be providing train-the-trainer classes at no charge. To make arrangements for a Train-the-Trainer class, the company asks that people contact them through the "Contact Us" page on their website.

The Uncoachable Agent: Breaking Through the Wall of Vulnerability to Achieve Greatness
Owners, Brokers and Managers all experience it at some point in their careers, frequently more often than we care to admit. The incredibly talented REALTOR® who already "knows it all" – reaching them, through their mindset and breaking that wall of vulnerability, is the only way to help them grow and attain their potential. This is likely the most frustrating of all the processes of retention and business development when it comes to brokerage operation. Far too often, classic methodology and systems are recommended or thrust upon these bright stars of the industry. The result is typically a push-back of sorts that frequently leads to animosity, resentment and the search for a "better fit" by the salesperson. This isn't as much about them not "doing the activities" as it is about them not knowing how to implement the necessary systems and to "time block" their days. Part of this process that is rarely addressed is that the salesperson themselves may not truly possess the confidence in their own abilities that they seem to portray. Strength vs. Weakness Far too often people judge themselves to be strong in areas where they might not be. The ego has a very delicate tolerance level for the risk of admitting the lack of experience or knowledge; this vulnerability is a result of a fear of being perceived as "weak." Weakness recognition in itself is an enormous strength, but that aspect of personal development is usually forgotten in the coaching and training process.

Are you struggling with agent adoption across one or more of your systems?
A common concern we see with many brokerages is getting agents to adopt new technologies. We've got a tip for you: Create digestible strategies for agents by building a scorecard or report card. Here's how: Break down your technology systems into each category. For example: CRM, Video Platform, Listing Presentation, CMA tool, etc. Take each one and ask yourself: What does it look like with basic usage? Intermediate usage? Advanced? Create a scorecard. Here's an example: Technology Resource: Customer Relationship Management Basic Adoption: Are contacts loaded in the system? Is the agent assigning contacts to campaigns or using automation for this? Is the agent assigning tasks and reminders? Does the agent have social media integrated?

Training "Team Us" at Your Brokerage
Continuing with our series of articles on TEAM US, today we'll focus on training. No matter whether they are a newly licensed sales associate or a seasoned one, you need to deliver the training they need as soon as possible after their start date. Your program should be all inclusive and, at the same time, customizable to the individual. Regardless of experience they will require training on some company basics: How your company processes listings and agreements of purchase and sale Presenting your company's value proposition Company infrastructure such phones, email, website, paging, etc. Your company's mission statement A newly licensed agent, in addition to the above, will need training on how to make a living in the real estate business. Since they are new and motivated, there will never be a better time to teach them the right way of doing things. This is also the time they accomplish amazing things because they don't yet know that it can't be done. It, obviously, can be done but not according to the naysayers within an office who try to tell them the way things really are – at least according to their personal successes or lack thereof.

Take the BO out of FSBO and Show Up!
When it comes to technology and the real estate agents, I believe agents want to use technology to its fullest extent to serve customers better and in the most cost-efficient way. But they have been overrun by technology. Some real estate agents are are searching for a technique, tool, software or system that will eliminate the task of prospecting, when in fact it will only eliminate prospects. It's time to get back in touch with some real, fundamental principles about the reality of prospecting. This week here are two tips: Tip #5: Show Up Tip #6: Take the BO out of FSBO

Sidestep the Trivial
When it comes to technology and the real estate agents, I believe agents want to use technology to its fullest extent to serve customers better and in the most cost-efficient way. But they have been overrun by technology. Some real estate agents are are searching for a technique, tool, software or system that will eliminate the task of prospecting, when in fact it will only eliminate prospects. It’s time to get back in touch with some real, fundamental principles about the reality of prospecting. Tip #3: Avoid the quicksand of the trivial

What Is In Your Twitter Toolbox?
If you set out to learn something, you might as well learn from the best. One of the pioneers of social media marketing is Chris Brogan, founder of New Marketing Brands. He works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications like marketing and PR. With a vast Twitter following and a number of tools by his side, Brogan consults and speaks about how to better utilize Twitter for business developement. What type of tools does he use to make Twitter easier to use, and more effective? Keep reading to find out.

Have Writer's Block?
One question I get consistently any time I talk to people about real estate blogging is, “What do you write about and where do you find the time?” And a darn fine question it is. Actually, it’s two questions. We’ll attempt to tackle the first one now, ans the second one in a follow up article. What to write about Here is where I differ somewhat from many “blogging experts”. Personally, I don’t think a real estate blog needs to be exclusively about real estate. You don’t need to go all “hyper local” to have a successful real estate blog. “Blasphemy!” someone is saying.

LinkedIn - Provider of 4 Degrees of Separation
Since you are already familiar with Plaxo, you should know that LinkedIn.com has a number of similar features. LinkedIn allows you to stay connected to people who are in your address book.  LinkedIn also allows you to see what is happening with the people you know, but most importantly, it allows you to find people. Remember the wisdom of six degrees of separation. The theory is that we are all connected to everyone on the planet in some way through someone who knows someone, who knows someone, and so on—six times. LinkedIn supports four degrees of separation.

How to Create a Facebook Fan Page
Many of our subscribers have shown a high level of interest in learning more about Facebook Fan Pages. In response to this feedback, we have researched and provided the following step-by-step approach to setting up a Facebook Fan Page. We hope you enjoy! Without a doubt it can be tricky to locate the “Add a Facebook Page.” To jump straight to this page, and avoid the multi-step navigation process outlined below, here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. If you cannot access the “Create a Page” link above, follow the below steps. 1.) Go to the home page of your personal Facebook page, and click the Account button on the top right hand corner of the screen.

Top Producer 8i or Microsoft Outlook?
Top Producer 8i and Microsoft Outlook are both contact management database programs. The biggest difference between them both is that Top Producer is was designed specifically for real estate and Microsoft Outlook is not. In my opinion, choosing a contact management database can’t be made solely on what the program is capable of doing, but how much time and dedication is given to the program and the experience that the REALTOR® has using computer software.  

Sell Homes More Quickly with a VOW Website
In this fourth of a series of five articles about Virtual Office Websites, or VOWs, we are going to discuss the ways to use a VOW to work more effectively with home sellers. The value of a home is exactly equal to the amount a willing seller and a willing buyer agree to at a given point in time. It can sometimes be difficult or impossible to convince a seller of the a realistic asking price, especially if they purchased their home within the past few years. Virtual Office Websites can help you work more successfully with a seller by allowing them to watch the local market dynamics along with you. The pivotal concept is that if both the agent and the seller are looking at the same information, they should derive a similar opinion on how to price a home, or at least have a shared set of facts to enhance their positions. Here are a few tools that VOWs offer to help increase the chances of selling a home:

How to Use a VOW to Generate New Customers
Looking for ways to make your website and the Internet work harder for you? A virtual office website, or VOW, is a great solution to consider. It is an excellent way to create and grow relationships with consumers that will lead to future transactions. Why do VOWs make sense for today’s real estate consumer? According to the Swanepoel 2009 Trends Report, “It’s crucial to make sure that your customers trust you before you try to sell them anything. The goal is to create an ongoing, non-pressured dialogue with the prospect. This is best accomplished by not providing just the basic information they can get from any number of other sites.” VOWs are a great method for accomplishing this important goal. Historically, in agent-consumer relationships, the flow of information was one way—the agent would find the information for the client and send an email or a link. You can differentiate yourself using a VOW to provide many high-touch services. With a Virtual Office Website, the flow of information is bi-directional. VOWs can help create a conversation with consumers. Think of your VOW in the same way as you think of your IDX website. The only difference is that it requires registration to get access to the deeper level of information like listing history, tax data, and sold listings. Virtual Office Websites allow an agent to create a “conversation” with a customer using automated tools. We know that registration requirement rule is the top “no-no” of a successful online strategy, but access to this deeper level of listing information is the tradeoff for the consumer.

Don't Make Them Wait!
You finally decided that with prices still low, you are going to upgrade to that bigger house you and your husband have been talking about for years. Things are good with both your jobs and now is the time. You have heard from several people that XYZ Real Estate has a good reputation and you see a lot of their signs around town so you decide to start your search on their website one night after work. They have a nice site and you are getting excited about the listings they have in the neighborhood you have been wanting to move into. Saturday morning you decide that you want to spend Sunday looking at a few homes for sale in your dream neighborhood. You get back on XYZ’s site while you are having your morning coffee and put in a request to speak to someone about viewing homes tomorrow. It’s about 9 AM and you give them your cell phone number in case they call while you are out and about. Soccer, baseball, yard work, laundry, and grocery shopping chores are done by mid-afternoon. You and your husband finally sit down to relax before cooking dinner and wonder why you have not heard anything from XYZ Real Estate. You are both eager to look at homes tomorrow so you check your email to see if someone has gotten back to you. Nothing on email and nobody has bothered to call after several hours. Not impressed with the lack of response, you get back online and start searching for other companies. Does this happen every day in our industry? Unfortunately, it happens hundreds of thousands of times every single day!

5 Tips for Using Landing Pages
With a growing emphasis on serach engine optimization (SEO) technology, real estate agents and brokers can be tunnel visioned, buying the latest and greatest technology to drive traffic to their landing pages, or webpages. Certainly SEO technology and other lead generating services are invaluable to marketing real estate websites, virtual tours, property listings and other online landing pages. However, in a recent blog post on Search Engine Land, Christopher Wallace addresses a common problem he sees today: the inability to convert site visitors into leads. Instead of merely pointing out the obvious problems that lie with driving thousands of visitors to your real estate websites and then sitting back while they move on, Christopher offers five tips to keep your online visitors around. 1. Simplify your content 2. Shorten your lead forms 3. Use your analytics to drive decisions 4. Keep the conversion path in mind when using images 5. Leverage landing pages for extended user engagement Instead of wasting time trying to get more people to click on your site in search engines, focus your efforts on ways to better convert the traffic you're already getting. *Editor's Note: A landing page is any online webpage that generates and drives traffic for marketing purposes. For example, if you advertise your real estate services online with a Web banner that if clicked on will direct online visitors to your website, that is a landing page. If you have an active blog and you use it to provide useful information to potential clients, this is a landing page.

Belly Dancing: Market Your Personal Brand!
No matter where a real estate agent or broker goes, marketing advice is all around! There are constructive lessons about personal branding to grasp in every life, outside your office or the real estate industry. You just need to look for them! Lisa Barone discovered a prime example of personal branding in the oddest place: her belly dancing studio! In a recent blog post for www.CopyBlogger.com, Lisa explains the key marketing strategies her bellydancing instructor demonstrated to create a personal brand that inspires attention. One of the common downfalls in marketing your brand, even in the real estate industry, is that people often use marketing technology to boost their image by bragging about themselves. This is not a marketing trend Lisa Barone or RE Technology recommend. The lesson from this blog post is to learn to harness technology and basic marketing strategies to create a successful brand, one that is not associated with ego. Lisa states four tips for how to establish your personal brand: Claim your niche Create your character Treat people like humans Make your brand accessible  Continue to read Lisa's blog post...

Potato Chip Marketing!
What’s the #1 secret successful agents and brokers are using to THRIVE in this complex market? The answer may surprise you…It’s Potato Chip Marketing (a.k.a. The 7 Steps to Highly Effective, Low-Cost Marketing—No Matter the Market Conditions!) What is Potato Chip Marketing? And why does it matter to YOU? Today, more than ever before, it is absolutely necessary that you understand the difference between advertising and marketing. You may THINK you know and understand that difference. But after working with hundreds of agents and brokers from around the world, I’ve realized that most people don’t understand the REAL difference—the millionaire-making difference. Here’s what I’m talking about…

SEO Responsibilities for Real Estate Brokers
Question: I am the real estate broker of my office—what are my SEO Responsibilities? Strange question; right? Well, not really. As the broker of your real estate agency, your job is to provide the best experience for your customers. You have been doing all you can to attract real estate buyers to your website, but you may have neglected the needs of your sellers. Isn’t it your job to provide the best marketing for your listings? Sellers want you to be the loudest bullhorn for their property—they need to sell their home quickly and for the highest price; they hire you to create the noise necessary for their property to help it sell quickly. Are you offering them that needed visibility?