Orlando, FL Real Estate Video Blog with John Huebner

BIG Things Are Happening at Premium Properties

Looking to improve your real estate career? I'm here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with Premium Properties, contact me at (407) 770-6840 or John.Huebner@PremiumAgents.net.

It's hard to believe, but 2014 is almost over. With the new year just around the corner, we thought we would quickly recap what we saw in Orlando real estate over the last year.

It was another fantastic year for real estate here in Orlando. Premium Properties opened another location in Merritt Island, which we were very excited about. Additionally, we joined the Brevard MLS, so we can now sell homes on the beach!

This year was a big year for our team internally, as well. We changed our lead management system to BoomTown, which we're very happy about, as each agent on our team now has their own personal website.

We at Premium Properties have made a new commitment to our commercial department over the last year. We had a sale this year that was over $5.5 million, which was incredibly exciting. We hope to continue the growth of our commercial department in the upcoming year. If you have any expertise in that area, we would love to chat with you!

Over the past year, we have enlarged our property management department. We have over 700 rental properties under management right now and we're looking to continue growing in this respect. We expect 2015 to be a huge year in this department as well.

Looking forward to 2015, we are hoping to have a new office opened in the Cocoa Beach Area sometime at the beginning of the year, so keep an eye out for that!

Thanks for joining us today! We would love to talk to you about all the wonderful things that are happening here at Premium Properties and how we can help you take your business to the next level!

Give us a call or shoot us an email if you're interested in learning more about us. We would love to take you to lunch and tell you a little more about the company!

Are You Throwing Away a BIG Opportunity by Taking the Holidays Off?

Welcome back everyone! Today, I want to discuss the topic of working through the holidays.

We often hear agents from other companies complaining about how slow the real estate market is this time of year. Many agents decide to simply take this time off and start up again after the new year.

I am of the opinion that it's not a slow time of year at all! It's only slow if you convince yourself that it is. It's important to keep a positive mental outlook throughout the holiday season if you want to go into 2015 with some momentum.

Taking time off now will affect your whole next year - your January and February will be weaker if you decide to take time off now. Reasons to continue working through the holidays are many, but here are just a few:

It's a great time for sellers. There is less inventory for homeowners to compete with, making the holidays a solid time to get more money in less time.
Home buyers are more motivated. People who are looking for homes around the holidays have a reason to be.
There are thousands of potential buyers. There are many people from out of town visiting our area right now. A lot of times these people are buying homes, which is potential business for you.
Other Realtors are taking time off. With fewer Realtors to compete with, you have a better chance of getting business during this time.

If you have any questions about the many reasons why you should stay hard at work this holiday season, or if you would like some tips on how to get your business ready for the upcoming year, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love give you a hand!

How are You Getting Your Leads?

Looking to improve your real estate career? I'm here to help you make a smart decision when it comes to growing your business, improving your bottom line, and choosing a place to work in real estate sales. If you'd like to learn more about working with Premium Properties, contact me at (407) 770-6840 or John.Huebner@PremiumAgents.net.

How are You Getting Your Leads?

Hey everyone, welcome back to our blog. The topic today is lead management. It's a very important topic for any real estate agent or company. What we have done at Premium Properties Services recently is changed lead management systems, from the market leader system to boomtown.

Boomtown is not a brand new company, but we decided it was time for a switch because we really liked how their system was so user friendly, and gives buyers and sellers a much more enjoyable experience. We have been able to transfer over 11,000 leads into our new system and have been spending a lot of money on google adwords to drive leads towards our boomtown site.

If you are not using the web to generate leads, you are falling behind. It needs to be a part of your business. We would love the opportunity to talk to you a little more about lead management. If you have any questions, we would love to talk to you and help try and answer them.

What is it like to Work with Us?

What is it like to Work with Us?

Today we are excited to have one of our newest agents, Tami Kissinger, join us. We asked her a few questions about what it's like to work with our team and how it's different than other teams she has worked with in the past.

Tammi had previously worked for another real estate company and when she first got here, she was very impressed with all the training that we offer. At her old job, they actually had the agents pay for marketing out of their own pocket, but we don't do that at Premium Properties. We have dedicated marketing professionals who can do the simple tasks, like sending out postcards and emails, for you. She also commented on how a helping hand is always available, and that's something we really pride ourselves on.

When asked what one specific thing Tammi could point to that set us apart from other teams, she said that the reason she felt she should be with us was because of the atmosphere. What we have to offer our agents is above and beyond what other companies do.

If you have any questions at all, or want to know more about our company, and what it's like to work for us, give us a call. We'd be glad to assist you with whatever you need.

Tips for a Successful Open House

Tips for a Successful Open House

Today we want to talk about a few things that might help you out when you are doing an open house. These are just a few tips to keep in mind to make the process a whole lot easier.

First off, you want to make sure that there is no clutter in the house. Get all of the personal items and photographs out of there. You want your home to be as neutral as possible so that a potential buyer can envision living there.

As far as marketing an open house goes, marketing the open house on Realtor.com is a great place to do so to ensure that the most people see it. Another good thing to do is tell your neighbors that you are having an open house so that they are aware of it. This way, they can act as advertisements for your open house by letting friends, acquaintances, and co-workers know about it.

One old-school technique that still works pretty well is sticking a sign in the yard. This is just another way to let people know when and where they can expect an open house. Talk to other Realtors as well. They could help you out with promoting your open house in exchange for promoting theirs.

These are just a few tips on ways to host a successful open house. If you'd like even more tips or if you just have a question on the topic, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to help out!

Comparing and Contrasting Buyer and Listing Agents

We get asked questions all the time about whether working as a buyer agent or a listing agent is the right path. It really comes down to your personality and skill set, and depending on where your strengths lie, that's the type of agent you should be. Let's start with listing agents.

Being a listing agent is probably the best place to be in a transaction from the standpoint that you are controlling the sale and what happens. An important aspect of being a listing agent is getting listings, and if you can have a stream of 5-10 listings constantly as a listing agent, you will have a predictable stream of income. That predictable stream of income is one of the biggest advantages of being a listing agent. The kind of personality or skill set to be this type of agent is a person who:

Has no problem making presentations to sellers
Experienced Prospector
Comfortable with using online marketing to list homes and able to adapt to new technology on the fly

Conversely, somebody who works as a buyer's agent has an entirely different skill set. They have to enjoy people, enjoy selling homes, and enjoy showing homes to potential buyers. A buyer's agent also needs to have the patience to deal with a client over a long period of time. There are times where you show properties over a few months to potential buyers. It can be frustrating, so you have to overcome that frustrating that comes sometimes.

One thing that's happening today is more agents using exclusive buyer-agent agreements. It's a good idea to get the agreement in writing, as it will help preserve your income while also ensuring that your clients stick with you throughout the process of finding them the perfect home.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call. We'd love to answer them for you.

The Importance of Relationships with Vendors

The Importance of Relationships with Vendors

In the real estate business, relationships are the most valuable things you have. Whether it be relationships with past clients, referrals or other agents, networking and building relationships are the key to succeeding in this business. What we want to talk to you about today is the importance of having relationships with vendors and how that can positively affect your business.

One benefit of having good relationships with your vendors is that you can give your customers a full service experience, which every customer wants. 85% of people would rather do everything in one place instead of having to take the time to research and hire different vendors from all over the city.
As an agent, it's extremely important to have relationships with mortgage lenders, title companies, and any other kind of vendor you may need to hire in the future. Here at Premium Properties, we have en entire network of vendors, what we like to call our "Premium Partners" program. This is a list of vendors, including landscapers, plumbers, electricians, and carpet cleaners that are all involved in this program. They can get connected with each other to work together, and it helps us to provide a full service experience for all of our clients.

Another benefit of having good relationships with preferred vendors is that you can get business from people that are your service providers. These vendors are also going to be able to send you business because you are sending them business. It's that reciprocity that is so important in building relationships.

If you have any questions about our premium partners program and how you can get in touch with some of our preferred vendors, please give us a call. We would be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

The Importance of Networking in the Real Estate Business

Networking is the lifeblood of real estate. Being involved, meeting new people, and forming new relationships is the only way to succeed as a real estate agent. What we have done is come up with 2 great, innovative ways for you to network better as an agent and get your name out there to as many people as you possibly can.

1. Be involved in your community

This is a must when networking in real estate. It could be as small as getting involved in a particular neighborhood, or you could try to make your name known throughout your city or area. If you are looking for a different way to get your name out there in the community, youth sports is a great route to go. We have seen agents that have become very involved in their children's sports and met a lot of families and got a lot of business because of this. Not only will getting involved with youth sports teams get you more business, it's great for building family relationships as well. Another way to go about this is by sponsoring a local flag football team. As a sponsor, you will get to meet parents and get more references.

2. Host a housewarming party

A very innovative way to network is by hosting and sponsoring housewarming parties for your clients whenever you sell their house or whenever they buy a new one. Paying for food and drink for a nice evening will not only elevate you in the eyes of potential clients, it's a great way to get face-to-face contact, which is the best kind of contact for networking.

If you want to know more about networking, or about real estate in general, please give us a call. We would love to talk to you.

Contacting vs. Connecting

Contacting vs. Connecting

A large part of our business is comprised of follow-up and listening to what the customer is trying to tell you. We often make the mistake of assuming that we know what the customer wants, and in reality we simply aren’t listening. Failing to listen is the number one mistake real estate agents make!

At Premium Properties, we urge our agents to place their clients on an automatic email system. One approach is set the email up through the MLS; but here at Premium Properties, we utilize the system Market Leader. Market Leader allows our agents to input their contacts, which in turn sends daily emails to their clients showcasing properties that match their wants and needs.

Along with utilizing Market Leader, we make sure our agents are following up with a phone call. By following up with a phone call, we are able to find out if those properties fit the client’s needs. A client’s feedback lets us adjust their parameters accordingly in our Market Leader system! By following these two steps, we eliminate the two biggest problems that real estate agents face: listening and following up.

If you would like to discuss your business, please feel free to call me or send me an email. Thanks and have a great day!

Your Keys to Success in Orlando’s Summer Market!

Your Keys to Success in Orlando’s Summer Market!

You may have noticed the exciting new business here in Orlando – there are new homes hitting the market, new buyers entering the market and we are expecting a very busy summer. To ensure success in the upcoming market, here are a few suggestions to follow:

Stay organized. Be ready for the increased business!
Continue your prospecting. With the influx in business, many people tend to stop prospecting.
Have a system in place. This means having a transaction coordinator to work your files from contract to closing. You can avoid being bogged down in your paperwork! Premium Properties provides these systems to ensure your success!

I would love to discuss these systems with you and show you how we can take your business to the next level. Avoid spending the extra money for someone to do these jobs for you! All of the productivity that will be happening over the next few months is taken care of at Premium Properties.

Please feel free to reach out to me by phone or email if you are interested in improving your business! Thanks and have a great day.

Premium Properties has the Benefits to Keep You Covered!

Premium Properties has the Benefits to Keep You Covered!

Health insurance has been a topic – especially for real estate professionals! You may have already experienced difficulty in reaching for health insurance. Here at Premium Properties, we give every full-time agent the opportunity to join our Group Major Medical Insurance plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. To my knowledge, I’m the only owner/broker to offer health insurance to their agents! The cost for the lowest plan is $158/per month with four different plans to choose from.

If you’re not happy with the “Obamacare” program that you may have enrolled in, there are other options! One of those options is to come speak with me. I would be more than happy to discuss all the services that Premium Properties offers. It is also worth noting that we offer Dental and Vision plans as well!

We have been offering this plan for about seven years and we currently have 30 agents taking advantage of these great benefits!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email. Thanks and have a great day!

Unhappy Agents: Premium Properties Can Show You How to Work Less and Make More Money!

One thing that every person wants to attain in their professional life is working less and making more money. With so many tasks to complete and master in real estate, my advice is to conquer one thing in the company and utilize the tools and systems provided by the company that can improve your business! We provide those exact tools that can help take your business to the next level. I personally know agents that have made their money by mastering one task!

There are many agents in the business that are not satisfied with the money they are making and the amount of time spent with their family. By placing yourself in the right environment, you have the ability to avoid that! If you would like to work less and make more money, Premium Properties would love to teach you how to do just that.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or email me. Thanks and have a great day!

The Importance of Active Prospecting in Real Estate to Sustain Success

Prospecting is a vital aspect to the real estate business that seems simple, yet is often overlooked. I recommend practicing this for two hours every day, 5 days a week. Some simple ways to mine for clients are:

Reaching out to friends and family

Use your sphere of influence and remind these people that you're in the real estate business, and that you can help them out.

Reaching out to people that you don't know: This can be as simple as going door to door and knocking.

This may seem tacky, but the importance of face to face contact cannot be understated. It can really help to engage with potential clients this way, because it will show them that you really care and are committed to them.

Make Phone Calls: Get on the phone and call expired listings or For Sale by Owners. You need to be consistent with this and always aim to make an appointment, because face to face contact is very important.

Avoid Passive Methods: I have seen people find success by mailing postcards and emailing potential clients, but in my opinion this is too passive and doesn't show the client that you truly care about them. It could be a good strategy if you're time strapped, but I would always go for active, face to face contact.

Once again, thanks for watching and listening. If you need any help finding real estate in the Orlando area or have any questions for me, I can be reached at (407) 770-6840 or email me at john.huebner@premiumagents.net

Attention Agents: 6 Things Buyers Consider When Selecting the Perfect Real Estate Agent!

What are Buyers Looking for in an Agent

Today I wanted to speak with you about the top six things buyers want in a real estate agent:

1.    Honesty. Buyers want somebody that is honest, someone they can listen to and follow their lead more than anything.

2.    Knowledge of the whole purchase process. Not only do you have to know the process, you have to be able to explain it to the buyers.

3.    Responsiveness. Buyers want someone that will get back to them quickly; with so many avenues of communication available, we must be responsive when they need us.

4.    Knowledge of the entire real estate market. As professionals, we need to stay up to date with what is happening in the market not only nationally, but locally as well.

5.    Communication skills. You have to be able to communicate well with buyers.

6.    Negotiating skills. A real estate agent has to be able to negotiate on a buyer’s behalf to ensure you can get the best price for the best home for their family.

Thanks and have a great day!

Have You Set Your Goals for the New Year?

Today I wanted to talk to you about a topic I am often asked about and that is goals and goal setting. As we progress through the New Year, this is something that is obviously very important. The first and most important step in goal setting is writing your goals down. Physically writing your goals down for the new is something I am currently doing with my agents. We meet individually, talk about goals and make a plan for the New Year and this exciting year in real estate!

Another reason that goals are so important is that they fuel our ambition. We need motivation to get out there and accomplish the things we want to do. The inspiration to aim high is crucial. Goals also hold us accountable; if we aren’t held accountable, we won’t everything that we want to. Besides that, goals give us much needed direction. They outline where we want to go and what is important to us.

Thanks and have a great day!

Does Your Broker Offer You Health Insurance?

Today I wanted to talk to you about health insurance and the benefits we offer at Premium Properties Real Estate Services. We have been providing real “true group” health insurance to our sales agents for the past seven years. We are currently with the reputable Blue Cross Blue Shield and our agents pay $155.73 for the least expensive plan (there are four to choose from). The plan is a guaranteed issue plan, which means you will be given insurance no matter what, and there is no other broker that I’m aware of in Central Florida that offers health insurance plans for their sales people.

This is not only a great benefit for my agents, but for me as well. Offering health insurance helps me retain agents that were able to get on the plan seven years ago. Also with the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act, everyone watching this video is required to have health insurance or be subject to some sort of fine or penalty. To avoid this, health insurance is offered to full-time sales people at Premium Properties.

The reason why no other broker in town will offer this sort of plan is because it is required that the employer pay for half of the premium. When you join our health insurance program, I do exactly that. Very few brokers would even think about pay a few hundred dollars a month for a salesperson to have insurance, but for me it makes sense. I take care of the people who take care of me!

I’m always available to speak with you about our health insurance programs. Thanks and have a great day!

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Premium Properties is a large, independently owned and operated real estate firm that has been changing people's lives since 1999. We do everything from residential to commercial real estate and also have a large property management department. We strongly believe in partnerships; we partner with Wells Fargo for lending and a trusted title company for closings, so we always know what to expect during the buying and selling processes. Our team is huge - we have 135 sales agents and 18 property management/rental agents - and we are hoping to expand to 250 by the end of 2015!

We at Premium Properties care about your success as an agent. The owner will be here working by your side every day. You will benefit from the independence we have as a firm because we don't have to deal with the restrictions that franchised companies do. We have a fantastic marketing department that will make selling your listings easy. We have a department to aid you in marketing your homes and will help get your listings on the many real estate website so your listings get maximum exposure. We also work to help our agents grow - for new agents, we offer a mentoring and training program, while for more experienced agents we offer coaching and help to help them advance their careers. If you want to work for a rapidly expanding, independent, and success-oriented real estate company, join Premium Properties today!

John Huebner
Premium Properties
564 N. Semoran Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32807
Office: (407) 770-6840
John.Huebner@PremiumAgents.net
http://1storlandorealestate.com