Coldwell Banker Agent Featured in BusinessFirst

This week’s edition of the Columbus BusinessFirst features an article on how the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit is working for both clients and sales associates. On the front page is a photo of Coldwell Banker King Thompson sales associate Kimberly Knight holding up a sold sign because not only has she worked with first-time home buyers because of the tax credit but she and her husband also bought their first home because of it! Below are links to the front page image of the paper and a link to the article.

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/frontpage/

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/08/17/story1.html

Our marketing department continually works with various newspapers and magazines in our market to pitch story ideas and building relationships that can give our company’s sales associates more exposure as “experts” in the real estate industry, thus becoming the “go-to” people that reporters go to for reactions to something happening in our community or because it's news that is “worthy” of assigning a reporter to it..

Why Go Anywhere Else?

Did you know that Coldwell Banker offers continuing education classes at their branch and corporate offices? See below for a list of upcoming CE classes in Cincinnati and Columbus.

Cincinnati CE Classes
July 15th: Fair Housing: It's Good Business - (1pm-4pm) - Wyoming Office
July 22nd: Mold Issues in Real Estate - (1pm-4pm) - Anderson Office
August 5th: e-Pro Workshop - (10am-11:30am) - Union Centre Regional Office
August 5th: Generational Dynamics - (1pm-4pm) - Union Centre Regional Office
August 6th: Ethics: Creating a Higher Standard - (9am-12pm) - Hyde Park Office
August 12th: The Closing Process - (1pm-4pm) - Nathanael Greene Lodge

To register for any of these classes, contact Susan Trefilek at susan.trefilek@cbws.com or 513-686-7643


Columbus CE Classes
July 27th: e-Pro Workshop - (10am-11:30am) - Dublin Training Center
July 27th: Generational Dynamics - (1pm-4pm) - Dublin Training Center
August 6th: Self Protection in Real Estate - (9am-4pm) - Dublin Training Center
September 3rd: Today's Legal Issues (9am-12pm) - Dublin Training Center
September 11th: Ethics: Pathways to Professionalism (9am-12pm) - Dublin Training Center
September 11th: Is THAT Your Final Answer? A Negotiation Course (1pm-4pm) - Dublin Training Center

To register for any of these classes, contact Sarah Poston at sarah.poston@cboki.com or 614-923-2713

Do you prospect daily?

It's interesting how quickly "status updates," "wall posts," and "friending" have become part of our vernacular. Facebook's user base has grown exponentially in recent months. The information on the Statistics page of Facebook is stagering:

- More than 30 million people access Facebook through their mobile devices!

- More than 100 million users sign in to Facebook each day!

- The fastest growing demographic are users 35 years and older!

So are you taking advantage of this free, easy-to-use marketing strategy? Amy Chorew who writes The Digital Realtor Blog wrote a post a few weeks ago on how to use Facebook in your prospecting efforts.

Our Next Installment of Project Trusted Advisor!

Coldwell Banker has a two-day training class coming up in Columbus and Cincinnati in the month of June! See below for details:


Selling homes in today's real estate climate requires new skills, new strategies and compelling dialogues. You're invited to attend these sessions and learn from the experts. Throughout their 35 years in real estate, Denise and Jay have developed a daring and innovative approach to selling real estate. Together, they have created a highly successful marketing strategy that repeatedly nets Sellers top dollar in all markets. If you want to experience an innovative way of thinking, achieve greater success and differentiate yourself from the competition...this program is for you.

Columbus

June 9-10th, 2009

9:30 - 4:00pm

Registration begins at 8:45am

Lunch included

(12 hours of ELECTIVE CE credit)

Bridgewater Banquet and Conference Center

10561 Sawmill Parkway, Powell, OH 43065

Cost: $45.00

(This fee will be reimbursed for associates attending both sessions in their entirety)

Seating may be limited to first 150 paid registrants.

If you wish to attend, please contact Sarah Poston at 614-923-2713 or email her at sarah.poston@kingthompson.com

Cincinnati

June 23-24th, 2009

9:30 - 4:00pm

Registration begins at 8:45am

Lunch included

(12 hours of ELECTIVE CE credit)

Receptions Conference Center

10681 Loveland Madeira Road, Loveland, OH

Cost: $45.00

(This fee will be reimbursed for associates attending both sessions in their entirety)

Seating may be limited to first 150 paid registrants.If you wish to attend, please contact Susan Trefilek at 513-677-9777 or email her at susan.trefilek@cbws.com

Ok - What Have You Done Today?

Stuck in a rut? Frustrated? Read this post from The Realtor's Toolbox blog (written by Sean Carpenter) and then watch the video. Hopefully it will add a little motivation to your day!

http://therealtorstoolbox.blogspot.com/2009/05/okay-what-have-you-done-today.html

Talking Points

from Hyde Park Office by Kim

What are real estate professionals saying to homebuyers and sellers about current market conditions? The successful brokers and sales associates are talking about the strengths that exist in the market - not the negative media hype. Below are positive angles that appeared recently in the media and underscore why it is a good time to buy real estate.

Recent Quotes & Excerpts about the Positive Signs in the Real Estate Market:

"GALLUP POLL: American's See Buyer's Market in Housing"

"Seventy-one percent think now is a good time to buy a house"

http://www.gallup.com/poll/117586/Americans-Buyers-Market-Housing.aspx

PRINCETON, NJ--Plunging housing prices combined with historically low interest rates have persuaded 71% of Americans that now is a "good time" to buy a house--up 18 percentage points from a year ago and the highest level of housing-purchase optimism in four years.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows that housing prices in 20 U.S. metropolitan areas were down 19% in January 2009 compared to a year ago. Accordingly, in an April 6-9 survey, Gallup finds that Americans outlook for home prices in their areas is slightly more pessimistic than it was a year ago. Fewer Americans now expect housing prices to increase over the next 12 months (22%) than did so in April 2008 (29%) and more expect them to stay the same or decrease (76% vs. 69%).

Consumers' housing-price expectations in 2008 and 2009 stand in sharp contrast to those of the three previous years, when at least half of Americans expected housing prices to increase and fewer than one in five expected them to decrease.

Fun in the sun!

The sales associates at Coldwell Banker West Shell know how to work hard and have fun too! Reposted from the Northeast office blog.