http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/4096221779001NewsOK

Realtors support agent's sign language in Oklahoma

BY TIM FALL, For The Oklahoman| March 7, 2015

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Courtney Gentry was a front-row student for some recent continuing education as a Realtor, but it wasn’t the instructor who held her focus.

Instead, her eyes were fixed on a man who sat facing her: a sign-language interpreter provided by the Oklahoma Association of Realtors for the class as Gentry and some 60 others worked on the Graduate Realtor Institute professional designation, GRI.

(Story continued below...)

Gentry, 30, is “profoundly deaf” and unable to hear or speak at any level. But it’s not keeping her from real estate sales.

It does require some accommodation. It took the interpreter for her to be able to communicate and interact within the workshop and to complete the two days of instruction, which covered real estate investment, taxes, financing techniques, property management and other topics.

Gentry, owner and managing broker of Dragonfly Realty & Management LLC, in Midwest City, said she is on her way to earning the GRI by June.

She is demonstrating the benefit of the GRI designation by pursuing it, said Kellian Schneider, vice president of professional development for the Oklahoma Association of Realtors.

“The Graduate Realtor Institute symbol is the mark of a real estate professional who has made the commitment to provide a high level of professional services by securing a strong educational foundation,” Schneider said.

The Realtors group had never been asked to provide sign language interpreters before Gentry, CEO Lisa Noon said. But she said the answer was a quick yes. “As an association, our role is to serve our members,” Noon said.

Gentry lost her hearing at age 1 to spinal meningitis. She earned her real estate license in 2008 and became a broker in 2012. Her husband, Justin Gentry, is a real estate investor and owner of We Buy Houses LLC in Midwest City.

After a recent tour of one of her listings, Courtney Gentry discussed, by email, her career and the challenges she faces.

Q: Did you transition from another profession?

A: I had just graduated in 2006 from the University of Oklahoma with a journalism degree when my husband asked me if I would work for his family’s real estate company. I decided that the idea of being self-employed sounded better than an 8-to-5 desk job!

Q: As a mother, how do you split work life and mommy life?

A: Being self-employed has its perks. I am able to take my daughters Jocelyn (age 4) and Aubrey (2 this April) with me to our office, and I do some work from home, too. The girls and I go to my real estate office for a few hours almost every day during the week.

Q: Have there been challenges for you, since you have to work with your clients through an interpreter?

A: I did not think it was possible at first, as real estate agents always seemed to be on the phone or in meetings. As a deaf individual, I thought that would be too difficult.

How Millennials Are Transforming Home Buying

U.S. NewsMar 3rd 2015 5:00AM

Eternity in an Instant/Getty ImagesMany millennials are more likely to communicate with their real estate agent by text than by phone or by email.

By Teresa Mears

For decades, the telephone has been the real estate agent's tool of the trade. But a new wave of younger home buyers is changing the way agents use those phones. Millennials, born between 1980 and the late '90s, don't want to talk. They want texts.

"We're on our phones all the time, and this generation does not like to pick up the phone," says Player Murray, managing broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices York Simpson Underwood Realty in Raleigh, North Carolina. "They don't want to bother with a conversation if it can be texted."

As the millennial generation, also known as Generation Y, takes a greater role in the housing market, young people's preferences are starting to shape the way real estate business is done. The real estate portal Zillow predicts that millennials will overtake baby boomers as the generation purchasing the largest number of homes this year, making their preferences even more important.

"Because of their [age group's] size, whatever they decide to do will have an impact on the housing market," says Nela Richardson, chief economist for the real estate company Redfin.

It goes without saying that this group relies on technology. More than 50 percent of millennials search for homes on their phones and, among those, 26 percent end up buying a home they found that way, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

"Mobile traffic to our app has outpaced traffic to our desktop site dramatically," says Paul Reid, a Redfin agent in Southern California's Inland Empire region. "Folks first go to their iPhones and their iPads."

Dealing with these tech-savvy buyers has posed a challenge for the nation's real estate agents, who tend to be considerably older than the home buying population they serve. A NAR survey of its members in 2012 found that only 3 percent of agents were under 30 and 81 percent were older than 45, with 25 percent over 65.

Murray, the North Carolina broker, is a member of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices' REthink Council, a group of 15 young agents nationwide formed in 2013 to help the company meet the needs of younger customers and recruit young agents.

"We're seeing a population on the consumer side that is not being served by its own age group," says Murray. "It's causing a lot of change in the way experienced agents are having to communicate."

One example of a company that has changed some of the traditional ways real estate is bought and sold is Redfin, with technology taking a key role. Redfin agents are paid based partly on customer satisfaction ratings. Customers can ask for home tours online or via the company's app, as well as sign up for alerts about new listings and use their phones to search for open houses near them. The Redfin Deal Room lets customers keep tabs on the process of their transactions 24/7.

"We find that our buyers, and particularly millennials, like having that information at their fingertips," Reid says.

Yet Redfin has found that customers still value face-to-face contact with an agent, and predictions that technology would make agents obsolete are proving unfounded.

"Agents are needed because they are that trusted resource when it comes to signing a contract," Reid says. "If you were on your own, it can be overwhelming. It would be a second job."

Here are 10 ways millennials are changing real estate:

Don't call us, and we won't call you. Many millennials prefer to communicate by text, but some prefer email. It's important for agents and customers to clarify upfront how they will communicate and how often, as well as how quickly they can expect a response.

We've done our homework. Millennials rarely need agents to find homes for them to see. They usually have their own list, and they've already researched comparable sales and chosen a neighborhood. "With millennials, we do not control information," Murray says. "What they need is for us to interpret the information." At times, that can mean demonstrating that the information is not accurate, but this generation may not simply take the agent's word without proof and visuals.

We don't like surprises. Younger buyers want to know what to expect and when. "I see them wanting to understand what's going on at any time in the process more than any other generation," Reid says. They like timelines, checklists and charts. "If they don't know what's coming around the corner, it could cause paralysis when they get there," Murray says.

We want customer service, and we want it now. Millennials expect to be partners in the home search, and they want quick answers to questions. "They want information, and they want valid information, and they want it right now," Reid says. "They're the generation of Google at your fingertips."

Is there an app for that? Younger buyers live on their smartphonesand use them as a key tool in their home searches. Apps are often their preferred method to check listings and collect other information.

What did your other clients think? Many millennial homebuyers get recommendations on agents from their parents, but they also do some research online before they ever call an agent. They want to see testimonials on an agent's website, as well as read online reviews.

You call that social media? As far as millennials are concerned, a Facebook page with listings is something their grandmother would do. They expect agents to engage them on social media. "They need to feel like they're a part of your business," Murray says. "Just reposting an article that's been posted 1,000 times across the country isn't enough."

Tell us what data you want, and we'll text it right over. Unlike older buyers, young people are not bothered by being asked for bank statements, employment verifications or other personal data required for mortgage approvals. "The younger people are used to having to supply everything about who they are," says Don Frommeyer, chief executive of the National Association of Mortgage Professionals and a mortgage broker in Indianapolis. "They'll give you everything."

No stainless steel appliances? Reject. Younger buyers sometimes have trouble seeing the bones of a home and often don't know which features can be changed easily at minimal cost. That's an area where they value guidance from agents that can help keep them from making a mistake. If they're buying a home that needs work, they also value referrals to contractors and vendors. "You've got to be able to provide resources to them," Murray says.

Yes, we can afford that. Finding a home they can afford in the location they want is a challenge for many younger buyers, especially in cities, Richardson says. Some are embracing the sharing culture by seeking homes with rental units or rooms that can be rented out on Airbnb or other services. "I think we're going to see millennials solve that problem in a different way," Richardson says.

How to Weed Out Problem Tenants

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | FRIDAY, MARCH 06, 2015 

The last thing a landlord wants to do is rent to the wrong tenant. So for property managers who are taking care of the leasing details, they are the first line of defense in keeping problem tenants out of the building. Landlords are leaning on these property managers and expecting them to find renters who aren’t going to damage the property, be late with rent payments, or take the landlords to court.

Property Management Resources:

Property Management 2.0

Avoid These 5 Property Management Mistakes

So how do you ensure your tenants are the right ones? Global real estate network Lamudi offers five tips for selecting a good tenant.

1. Meet the applicants. This is about preventing problems before they start. The rapport you have with tenants will be crucial in enduring their happiness living in a property. Schedule face-to-face meetings with applicants to get a better sense of who they will be as tenants and how you can work with them. If you can’t meet face-to-face, schedule a phone call instead.
2. Be thorough with documentation. Keep a copy of tenants’ identity cards or passports, and require proof of income before administering a lease agreement. Ask for an employee contract as well as copies of their most recent paystubs. If you need extra confirmation of a tenant’s ability to pay, ask for them to provide previous landlords as references.
3. Check their credit history. This might seem like something more for a home buyer than a renter, but landlords/property managers should always check a tenant’s credit history. This will tell you how much outstanding debt they have, as well as whether they have a history of paying their bills on time. Even if they can afford the rent on their salary, other repayment obligations may affect their budget.
4. Look out for warning signs. Pay attention to a prospective tenant’s rental history. If they’ve moved around a lot, that could indicate issues between the tenant and their past landlords. Most landlords will want a tenant who can commit to staying for a longer period of time.
5. Listen to your instincts. Even if all the information and documentation a renter provided checks out, there may still be something holding you back from offering them a rental contract. If you feel uncomfortable renting to someone, listen to your gut — even if they look good on paper.

—REALTOR® Magazine

The state of Florida is known all over the world as the home of Walt Disney World and here stateside we like to call it “The Sunshine State.”

With its miles of coastline, beautiful beaches, the everglades and happening hot spots like Miami and the Keys it is no wonder Florida natives are so proud of their home state.

If you’re looking to make a transplant down South and want to enjoy all that the state has to offer consider one of our 15 best places to live in Florida.

4) Orlando

A list of great cities in Florida just wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Orlando.

As the Theme Park Capital of the World, Orlando is home to not only Walt Disney World, but also Universal Studios Florida, SeaWorld and the truly unique Gator World.

It is the most visited city in all of the US and as you can imagine, tourism is the main contributor to the economy in the city.

Orlando also ranks as number 4 on the list of cities American’s would most like to live in according to a Pew Research Study conducted in 2009. The city is made up of mostly wetlands and offers visitors a wide array of opportunities to visit its many different lakes and swamp lands.

With its gorgeous tropical year round temperatures and close proximity to the coast Orlando is a fun and exciting city to live in even if you aren’t the theme park type. The city also ranks high on our list for it’s relatively low cost of living, good public school system and unbeatable location within the state of Florida.

To all Real Estate Professionals out of the State of Florida, from Out of the Country.

Dear Real Estate Professional:

I am a Realtor in the Lake Nona Area in Central Florida. Our office is located near the new

Medical City and Orlando International Airport. Orlando is one of the Nation's fastest growing

cities with great jobs and excellent schools. I am a member of the Orlando Regional Realtors

Association (ORRA), Florida Realtor Association (FAR), National Realtor Association (NAR)

National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) and Central Florida Real

Estate Investors (CFRI). I am proud to be part of ESM Group, an international redefining Real

Estate Marketing Company. I have lived and worked in Florida for 27+ years and know it well.

Do you have clients considering relocating to the Central Florida area; investing in commercial

or vacation homes? Many people dream about moving to Florida and now is a great opportunity

to make the move. Let me assist your clients in making a smooth transition. I will guide them

through the home buying process from start to finish.

By referring your clients directly to me; I will pay a 25% referral fee to licensed Real Estate

Agents. Be assured that your clients will be well taken care of. I look forward to working

together and building a great business relationship with you. Please feel free to contact me with

any questions or concerns you may have. Thank you for your consideration.

Martha Coronel, Realtor

Lake Nona Office

10645 Narcoossee Road

Orlando, Florida 32832

321 438-2737

Martha.coronel05@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ESM-GROUP-Florida-Martha-Coronel/799397613473299

https://www.facebook.com/Marthacoronelpremiumproperties

https://marthacoronel.premiumorlandoproperties.com

BuyerPsychology: Beat the v Fear Factor

Buyer Psychology: Beat the Fear Factor

Many of the issues that delay closings come down to legal issues or dollars and cents, but fear and uncertainty about the market can also cause a buyer or seller to pull back.

AUGUST 2010 | BY MARIWYN EVANS

"Consumers are facing a crisis in trust" because of the trauma they experienced during the economic meltdown, says Dr. David Sachs, a training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center in Philadelphia.

If people buying a home seem emotionally conflicted, you must do more than simply convince them that now is a good time to buy.

"Sympathize with their understandable fear," Sachs says. "You should show that you find their concerns realistic."

Only then should you try to address any specific issues they have about this particular home or transaction, he says. "Because any big decision has unavoidable risks, the final decision requires a leap of faith," he says.

One technique for reducing buyers’ fear is to reinforce their decision, even after the closing is scheduled, says Gee Dunsten of Gee Dunsten Seminars in Salisbury, Md. Let buyers know if other homes in the area sold at or above the price they’re paying to reinforce that they’re getting a good deal.

Similarly, you can reassure sellers by providing the specifics of a few comparable homes that have sold at about the same amount. "This keeps them committed to the transaction," Dunsten says.

RELATED CONTENT: 

Appeal to their senses: Choose the Right Words

Appeal to Their Senses: Choose the Right Words

When crafting real estate ads, use language that will reach consumers through their eyes, ears, and emotions.

FEBRUARY 2007 | BY MARK NASH, DORIS BARRELL

Excerpted from Fundamentals of Marketing for the Real Estate Professional (Dearborn Real Estate Education).

The primary purpose of all marketing strategies is to deliver a message to the consumer. The message may be an attempt to sell a specific product, to promote a specific brand, or to introduce the consumer to a company with something to sell. In the real estate business we may be “selling” ourselves, our expertise, or our prod­uct. Our products are the properties that owners have listed with us in the hopes of getting them sold.

In order to better prepare the marketing message, we must first understand something about the psychology of the consumer.

Neurolinguistic programming, or NLP, is a communication tech­nique that was developed in the 1970s by mathematician John Grinder and linguist Richard Bandler. This technique was designed to help people and companies increase their rate of suc­cess through more effective communication. It identifies the following three ways in which people process the information that they receive:

Visually. The visual process takes place through the eyes and is most affected by pictures and words that relate to seeing.Auditorily. Auditory pro­cessing relies more on sound and is affected most by things that are heard or words that relate to hearing.Kinesthetically. Kinesthetics refers to touching or feelings. The feelings may be internal ones such as joy, fear, comfort, or anxiety. External feelings relate to taste, touch, smell, or physical movement. Words that support such feelings capture the attention of the kinesthetic processor.

Using V-A-K in Marketing

The visual-auditory-kinesthetic, or V-A-K theory, was not specifi­cally developed for writing real estate ads, but it can be a useful tool when preparing any type of marketing piece.

By using visual words, you are able to attract the interest of the person who pro­cesses incoming information through their eyes. By using auditory words, you can catch the attention of the auditory person who pro­cesses information by hearing. And with the use of well-placed kinesthetic words, you can establish instant rapport with the per­son who relies on touch and feelings.

The list of words and phrases below can be useful in preparing ad copy for use in different media sources. The trick is to be able to insert enough of all three kinds of key words into your media advertising.

Examples: V-A-K Words and Phrases

Visual: Beyond a shadow of doubt, Describe, Get an eyeful, Get a perspective, Gleam in the eye, Hazy idea, Imagine that, In view of, Looks like, Like a photo, Mental image, Mind’s eye, Map out, Paint a picture, Pretty as a picture, Take a peek.

Auditory: Clear as a bell, Discuss, Entertain me, Give me your ear, Hardly a peep, Heard voices, Hold your tongue, Listen in, Loud and clear, Power of speech, Manner of speaking, Outspoken, Pay attention to, Rings a bell, Purrs like a kitten, Tuned in.

Kinesthetic: Chip off old block, Demonstrate, Get a handle on, Get a load of this, Be in touch with, Gut feeling, Draw a picture, Heated argument, Illustrate, Tasty, Hot seat, Lay hands on, Intuition, Point out, Feels just right, Moment of panic.

Good marketing is a matter of quality, not quantity. You want to spend your time, energy, and dollars where you can anticipate the most return.

Write ads in a V-A-K way that will attract the attention of all types of consumers. Use a mix of media: print, audio/visual, TV, and the Internet.

Concentrate on direct market­ing techniques where you can expect more direct response. Select marketing tools designed to reach out to your chosen target mar­ket. Whenever possible, take the opportunity to market yourself along with your listed properties.

Be sure to track which of your marketing efforts brought the most results. And remember that marketing is a matter of long-term planning and action.

The following is a detailed description of a property. It could appear just as it is written for a newspaper or magazine ad, but see if you could make it more interesting by using words that will attract the attention of all three V-A-K types.

Just Listed Three-bedroom, two-bath, one-level house on 3/4 acre bordering 4,000 acre lake. Yard has orange and grapefruit trees, flowering shrubs, and perennial flower beds. Glassed-in porch extends across back of house with French doors opening onto a 25-foot swimming pool. Pool area is screened in and has deck area with room for picnic table & lounge chairs. Interior of house has gray carpet in LR, DR, & BRs, with hall, kitchen, and baths in white tile. Large kitchen includes refrigerator/freezer, double oven, microwave, double sink with gar bage disposer, and pantry. Washer and dryer plus storage cabinets are included in adjacent laundry room. Master bath has separate shower and toilet areas plus Jacuzzi tub. Ceiling fans in every room of the house, including the 2+ car garage. Property is located 2 1/2 miles from the center of small town and 40 miles from major city.

Look over what you have written. Underline the words that will appeal to the visually oriented in red, the auditory in blue, and the kinesthetic in green. Which color shows up the most? More than likely, this is the way you process information. The most challeng­ing part of using V-A-K in marketing is to come up with words that relate to a processing mode that you seldom use yourself.

RELATED CONTENT: 

Buyer Psychology: Beat the Fear Factor

8 steps to writing Effective Advertising Copy

8 Steps to Writing Effective Advertising Copy

To attract buyers with compelling advertising, follow this simple, easy-to-remember process.

AUGUST 2009 | BY JOHN D. MAYFIELD

Need to write snappier ad copy for your real estate listings? Remember the phrase "G.E.T. C.A.L.L.S." This is key to writing effective advertising copy and can get you results in eight easy steps.

I first talked about the acronym memory aid for writing advertising copy in my book 5-Minutes to a Great Real Estate Ad (Cengage Learning, 2006). Here's how you can use it.

G: Grab the Reader's Attention

To perform this task, use a headline or phrase that will cause the reader to stop and want to read more. Your local television station is excellent at getting our attention and causing us to tune into the newscast (e.g. “You won’t believe what this six-year-old boy did today at the zoo!”). They’ve got your curiosity and make you want to know more.

E: Entice the Reader With Information

Giving useful, interesting information about the property is the next step. But you need to go beyond the basic info. For instance, if you’re promoting a three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow for $159,900, you’re going to need to distinguish it somehow. After all, there are lots of these kinds of listings.

What’s especially appealing about this bungalow? How’s the floor plan, the woodwork? What words can you use to paint a picture about this home?

T: Truth in Advertising

You may have heard the saying "Don't let the truth interfere with a good story," but in advertising to the public, it's bad business practice. Always paint an accurate picture in all of your promotions. In the long run, misrepresenting a property or exaggerating features will hurt you. Once the consumer visits the property or otherwise discovers the misleading information, then the game is up. 

C: Close the Sale

It may seem odd to ask for consumers’ business in classified ads, but it’s a smart practice. There are a number ways to ask for the business: Tell them to contact you for more information about your services or schedule a private showing, or to visit your Web site for a virtual tour. Whatever method you decide, make sure you take steps to move the transaction to its successful conclusion.

A: Ask the Seller What They'll Miss About Their Home

This is often overlooked by many real estate professionals, but one most sellers understand when asked. Think about your own home for a moment: If you planned to sell your house today, what would you miss the most? I’m sure you could come up with a lengthy list of positive features you will be reluctant to leave behind.

The same is true for your clients. These are excellent features to list in your advertising copy.

L: List Key Features About the Home

For example, you'll want to point out bedrooms, baths, central air-conditioning, location, school, price, and other important aspects of the property that consumers need to know. There’s actually a debate on whether to include area schools or location. Both have pros and cons—use your judgment in every situation.

However, certain key features about the home are essential to any promotion. Normally you would include this information somewhere in the middle of an advertisement.

L: Look at Other Ads

Whether you’re new to the real estate business or a veteran practitioner trying to increase your sales, one good way to improve your advertising copy is to watch and read what other “successful” real estate professionals are doing. Just don’t copy what they’re doing!

Simply read and watch to help create new ideas for you when developing classified ads in the future. It will make a huge difference in the way you market yourself and your clients’ properties if you look at ads that are producing results for other real estate pros.

S: Spend Time Preparing and Writing Your Ads

Write several ads for each listing you have. This is an overlooked practice in the real estate industry. We spend thousands of dollars on marketing our listings, hours of time earning new business, and agree to follow a strict fiduciary obligation with our clients. But then we only write one or two ads in a brief 60-second drill to move on to our next “to do” item.

Avoid that pitfall by reminding yourself to devote a significant amount of time and effort to developing multiple, quality ads.

By following the G.E.T. C.A.L.L.S. format, you will be able to build effective ads and, most importantly, get calls from prospective buyers!