Thursday, March 28, 2013

Your Table Is Waiting

      Is recruiting new real agents a high priority at your office?  There is very few things that a Florida real estate broker can do that are more lucrative than recruiting good new sales associates. 

     Let's look at it this way.  Today, you recruit a new Florida real estate licensee.  He earns a very mediocre income.  This new associates never earns more than $30,000 per year income for himself.  This agent is on a sixty forty split with the company.  The sales associate earns $30,000 which means that the broker earns $20,000 from the new agent's effort.  This agent stays with the company for ten years.  How many of those would you like to have?  This story would be more exciting if you taught him to double that income.

     Put a little more effort into recruiting.  At Climer School of Real Estate, we have a table in the back of the classroom.  We invite, beg, beseech, plead, cajole, encouage  real estate brokers and time share resorts to send us recruiting brochures to put  on the recruiting table.  How many recruiting brochures are on that table right now?  Two. 

     If you would like our students to call you and consider coming to work for your real estate company, send us some recruiting brochures.  We will put them on the recruiting table.  Send us a recruiting poster, we will put it on the wall.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 and create a link to our website.  Every one of our students are on the DBPR list of new licensees.  The list comes out every Friday.  Are you calling them?  If not, why not ask Kathy how to get that list?  Have you seen our students pictures?  It is on our facebook page.  www.climerrealestateschool.com Check it out.  Give us a LIKE while you are there.

     Why would you not want to recruit a few of these wonderful new agents?  Let us know if there is anything we can do to help you recruit.  Over half of our students are looking for a place to start their real estate career.  Make your company visible and they will find you.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Listening Pays In So Many Ways

      When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  This is an old Zen saying.  That is what happen to me when one of my students handed me a copy of Dr. Rick Bommelje's book, "Listening Pays" with a subtitle,"Achieve Significance Through The Power of Listening"

     This book is written as a story in the style  of Og Mandino.  Stu, the main character is in dire need of listening skills.  He,of course, doesn't know this.  He thinks everyone around him is the problem.  You may know a character like Stu.

      In Brommelje's story Stu meets the teacher since he is now ready.  If you are ready, you probably need to meet the teacher in this wonderful book.  Reading "Listening Pays" will make you a better salesperson.  It will make you a better parent.  Reading this book will make you a better spouse.  It won't change the people around you unless you read the last chapter. 

     Get this book.  It is available as an ebook.  "Listening Pays" by Rick Brommelje is a book you want to own.  You can contact Dr. Brommlje at www.listenleaders.com  

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Selling Your House, List With A Cooperative Agent

      In almost all cities, there is a Multiple Listing Service (M.L.S.).  This is almost always part of the Association of Realtors. 

     If you list your house with the Realtor of your choice, your agent submits your listing to the M.L.S. .  Any Realtor in town can show your house to their buying prospects.  This is good for you. The buyer's agent and your agent agree to share the commission.  Theoretically, they share in the work of  getting the transaction to closing.  In real estate, we call this cooperating.  There is the listing agent and the cooperating agent.

     Some listing agents cooperate better than others.  Most laymen believe that a good agent will list my house,show my house and sell my house.  The truth is that cooperating well with 4999 helpers, other Realtors, will get the job done better and faster. 

     One way you can tell how well your listing agents cooperates is to look at the way they split the commission in the M.L.S..  A listing agent that wants to encourage cooperation will split the commission fifty fifty between the listing office and the cooperating office.  A listing agent that wants  to discourage cooperation will list a house at 7% with 4% going to the listing office and 3% going  to the cooperating office.  This decision is entirely up to the listing agent.  The cooperating agent has no control over this.  The client does.  If you are the client you can insist that the commission be split fifty fifty.  The listing agent is bound by Florida law to obey your instructions.  Splitting commissions fifty fifty encourages cooperation.  Cooperation is good for the client.  If you really want to get your house sold quickly, have your agent list it for 8% and split that fifty fifty.  There is no incentive like a financial incentive. 

     Another thing that listing agents do to encourage cooperation is to make the house easy to show.  Realtors know that houses that are hard to show are hard to get to closing.  Making the house hard to show discourages cooperation.  If you want to get your house sold, make it easy to show.  This encourages cooperation from other Realtors.  This is good for the seller.

     Some listing agents discourage cooperation by "holding offers" until it is convenient for the listing agent  to present them to the seller.  This discourages cooperation.  A smart client will insist that any offer that is presented to listing agent is presented to the seller before the suns sets on that business day.  Many listing agents will get an offer from a cooperating agent on Tuesday and NOT tell the seller about that offer until Friday.  There is no advantage to the seller.  Insist that your listing agent that you want to see all offers the same day they receive them.  Accept the offer.  Reject the offer. Counteroffer quickly.  Insist that your listing agent notify the co-op agent immediately of your decision.

      If you have your house listed with a uncooperative listing agent, there are some things you can do to help your listing agent be more co-op friendly.  Suggest to your agent that we raise the commission and be certain it is split fifty fifty in the M.L.S..  This is much more effective than a price reduction.  Also insist that you see any offer that comes in on the house the same day it comes in to your listing agent.  There is no upside to "holding offers" to the client. If you (the client) instruct your listing agent to do this in writing, they are bound by Florida law to obey your instructions.   There is no advantage to "holding offers" to the seller.  There may be an advantage to an unscrupulous listing agent.

     List your house with an agent that likes to cooperate with other Realtors.  It is the best way to get to closing quickly.                          www.climerrealestateschool.com



  

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Florida Real Estate Exam Prep Course, Do I Need One?

     Many people call the state exam prep course the state exam "cram course".  At Climer School of Real Estate in Orlando, about half of our students attend our two day Florida real estate "cram course".  The other half leave my sixty three hour required course and go pass the Florida real estate exam immediately after the class is over.  Many students go pass the Florida real estate exam the next day.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQkyITKFtrc  Watch this video if you want to meet one of these folks. 

     We teach a two day Florida real estate exam prep course.  Over half of the students at these classes took their sixty three hour basic required course at another real estate school.  That school did not teach them to pass the Florida real estate exam.  Most of them have already paid Pearson Vue $31.50 to take the Florida real estate exam at least once.  If you don't know the pass rate for the Florida real estate exam, read this.  http://ronclimer.hubpages.com/hub/The-Florida-Real-Estate-Exam-Pass-Fail-Rate-For-July-2012  If you have already taken the Florida real estate exam, your odds are thirty three per cent.  Do not underestimate the Florida real estate exam. 

      If you need a two day Florida real estate "cram course", we have the best one in Florida.  We not only have it in a classroom, we have it on video or audio.  Call Kathy (407 822 3926) if you need a cram course.  We teach this class out of Linda Crawford's "Florida Real Estate Exam Manual".  This book, even without the course, is enough help for some people.  It has four hundred practice questions that are very similar to the questions on the Florida real estate exam. We also have a free one hundred practice test on our website.

     One of the things that make passing the Florida real estate exam easier is the nine videos that I have   posted on You Tube.  If you have already taken the Florida real estate exam, how did you do on the math portion?  Watch these nine free videos.  You will probably recognize some of the problems. Our user name on You Tube is Climer School. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ_gTg35GIs   I would encourage any one that is taking the Florida real estate exam to watch all nine of these free videos. 

     At Climer School of Real Estate, we try to help our students and other students to pass the Florida real estate exam the first time.  It costs $31.50 every time you take it.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 or www.climerrealestateschool.com if we can help you pass the Florida real estate exam.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Florida Real Estate Brokers, Get Ready For The Boom

     Prepare for the coming real estate boom.  If the boom is coming in 2013, you need to be ready.  If you are a Florida real estate broker, ready means you have a full staff, trained and ready to list and sell. 

     How can you find these additionial Florida real estate licensed associates?  Start by bringing or mailing some recruiting brochures to Climer School of Real Estate.  You can look at our facebook page and see all the students that came through the real estate school lately.  About half of those students are looking for a home to start their real estate career.  They want to find you,Mr. Broker.  Make it easy for them to find you.  Link to our website.  Put recruiting brochures in the back of our classroom. 

     What else can a Florida real estate broker do to recruit new Florida real estate associates?  Every Friday the DBPR sends out a list of every Florida real estate applicant that has applied for a Florida real estate license.  These people will have a Florida real estate license in about two weeks.  You can get this free list of  HOT recruiting prospects.  Call them and offer them an opportunity to join your company.  You could offer to reimburse  them for their real estate school tuition from their first commission.  That would impress them.  If you don not know how to get the DBPR list of new real estate license applicants, call Kathy at 407 822 3926.  She will show you how to get the list every Friday. 

     Put brochures at Climer School of Real Estate.  We have a table at the back of the room just for that.  Call the applicants on the DBPR list.  What else can you do?  Advertise that you are looking for new sales associates.  If your office is in a high traffic location, put a sigh out by the highway in the parking lot to attract new real estate agents. 

     Print a message on the back of your business card that says,"Have you considered a career in real estate?".  This costs nothing.  If you have a blog, like this blog, write an article about what a wonderful career selling real estate is.  Tell people in the article that you will reimburse their tuition to real estate school.  Tell them that is they are recently discharged from the military, there is no fee to get a Florida real estate license.  http://ronclimer.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-free-florida-real-estate-license-for.html Here is a link to the details about that. 

     What about a good old fashioned career night?  They still work as good as ever.  How many people would have to show up for it to be a hit.  Send me a flyer. I will put it on the back wall.  How many people would have to show up for it to be a hit? 

     Pretty soon, the recession will be over and the boom will be here.  You do not want a small listing inventory and you do not want a bunch of empty desks.  Start today.  If you are a real estate sales associate, start building a listing inventory.  If you are a Florida real estate broker, start recruiting new Florida real estate associates. www.climerrealestateschool.com 

    

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Passing The Florida Real Estate Exam In One Try

Here is a video I received today. 
 
As a real estate instructor, I am proud of my students.  Here is a video from one of my students from two weeks ago. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sunday, March 10, 2013

A Very Simple Way To Find More Business

     Give a business card to everyone you meet.  Is that simple?  Is that too simple?  You meet people.  Give them a business card.  Everyone knows someone that needs to buy or sell real estate.

     You never know who is going to toss your card or who is going to keep it forever.  I always leave a Climer School of Real Estate business card with my tip at a restaurant.  A short while ago, I left my card at a restaurant.  The waitress followed us outside when we left.  She told us that her house was being foreclosed upon.  She needed help.  I referred her to a local Realtor. 

     Give  your business card to everyone you meet.  There is no downside except that business cards cost money.  They are not so expensive that you should ration them. 

     If you find yourself at some sort of committee meeting, get there early and pass out your business cards to every seat.  If that seems tacky to you, get over.  If it did not create business, I would not tell you to do it.             www.climerrealestateschool.com

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Florida Real Estate Exam Pass Fail Results For January

     In January 2013, one thousand one hundred and eighty four Florida real estate license applicants took the Florida real estate sales associate exam for the first time.  Six hundred and six of those applicants passed the Florida real estate exam on the first attempt.  That is a pass rate of fifty one per cent.  That is one per cent better than last month.  In January 2013, one thousand four hundred and seventy four people paid $31.50 to take  the Florida real estate sales associate exam for the second or third or fourth time.  Four hundred fifty seven of those passed.  That is a thirty one per cent pass rate.  Many people think this Florida real estate test is easy.  One thousand and seventeen retakers that failed this exam don't think it is easy. 

     It is easier for some people than it is for others.  It is easier for people that had the foresight to take their pre license real estate course from a Florida real estate school.  Many applicants today take their required pre license course real estate course online.  That is OK unless you let your budget choose your real estate school.  Take your Florida online real estate course from a Florida real estate school.  It makes it easier to pass the Florida real estate exam. 

     If a real estate school is not a Florida real estate school. it is the wrong school for someone that is taking the Florida real estate exam.  If someone chooses a real estate school that specializes in all fifty states, it would seem about normal that that school would have no extraordinary knowledge of what is on the Florida real estate exam.  If a real estate school like Climer School of Real Estate that has been in Orlando, Florida since 1980 only teaches Florida real estate classes, it would seem logical that Climer School of Real Estate might have a little more knowledge about what you need to study to pass the Florida real estate exam.  The real estate school that you choose for your pre license class makes a difference.

     Another mistake that the forty nine percent that have to take the test again make is to underestimate the the Florida real estate exam.  One way to be sure you don't do that is to take the free one hundred question practice exam that we have on our  website at www.climerrealestateschool.com .  If you are taking the Florida real estate exam soon, take a couple of hours and take this practice test.  When you are finished , you will  know if you are ready for the Florida real estate exam.  If you pass our test, you will pass the Florida real estate exam.  If you fail our test, keep studying. 

     At Climer School of Real Estate, we sell a book that I think is an essential study aid for passing the Florida real estate exam.  That is Linda Crawford's "Florida Real Estate Exam Manual".  This book is an outline of the textbook that we use in our pre license class.  It also has four hundred practice questions with the answers and an explanation of the answers. 

     Here is a sad story.  Many people fail the Florida real estate exam with a grade of 73 or 74.  That is close but Pearson Vue will still charge you $31.50 to take the test again. Many of these people that are close discover that if they had got ten out of ten math problems correct, they would have passed.  That is frustrating.  The solution to this dilemma is to watch the nine free videos that we have posted on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gNXz5DsZmI  It is very difficult to pass the Florida real estate exam if you don't get ten out of ten on the math.  All the real estate math that is on the test is on my videos.  Watch them.  Our user name on You Tube is Climerschool.

     If you have a date with the Florida real estate exam in your future, we have a two day review that we teach in Orlando, Florida.  There is nothing better you can do to prepare for the Florida real estate exam than take this two day class.  We cover everything that is on the state exam.  We know that  some people can't take this two day course because of time and geography.  We came up with the solution to this problem.  I went into the classroom all by myself and taught this class to a recorder. We put it on audio CD's You can get this set and listen to it non stop until test day. 

     If you are  taking the Florida real estate exam soon, let Climer School of Real Estate help you pass the first time.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 . Be in the half that passes the Florida real estate exam the first time.   www.climerrealestateschool.com