Mitsein

Add an outdoor room to your living space

Have you ever noticed how most people who see a beautiful garden want to stop, breathe in the fragrance, admire the vivid colors and linger a while? You can make the beauty of nature a year-round part of your life by turning a section of your lawn or garden into an “outdoor room.”

By following the four tips listed below from the American Association of Nurserymen (AAN), you can transform your lawn from an unused space into a place to gather with family and friends.

TIP #1

Create an outdoor “room” by framing an area of your lawn with bushes, trees, flowers or shrubs. Build in privacy by planting larger bushes around the perimeter of your outdoor room. Add color with annuals and bulbs.

TIP #2

Think about how you will use your outdoor room and plan accordingly. If you want to provide a place for your children to play and your pets to frolic, choose more rugged plants and place your flowerbeds away from tempting play locations.

TIP# 3

Add charm to your outdoor room by including whimsical garden accessories, such as birdbaths, ceramic and terracotta garden animals or colorful pots for container plants.

TIP# 4

Use a deck or patio, a garden bench or a gazebo to make your outdoor room a place of easy comfort, and create shade with trees or a trellis covered with vines. Invite a friend over, pour some lemonade, sit back and relax.

So, you have the most advanced and dynamic real estate agent website on the web. You got all the bells and whistles your buyers and sellers would ever want. The traffic is rolling in, but there’s still one problem. Where are the leads?

Like every other real estate agent, you know how tough it is to find quality real estate leads. You need potential clients to take action now! Not wait, sit on the fence for a while and eventually slip away. So how can you catch these clients hook, line and sinker? Learn how to market and advertise YOURSELF! Take advantage of the features your realty website offers that allow you to show off.

Write a catchy and creative blurb on your professional skills, attitude and star sales qualities.

Remind your clients to interact with your website. Ask them to fill out a form, contact you and save their favourite properties. Make them communicate with you in any way possible.

Take advantage of every touch point. Store clients’ e-mails, phone numbers and addresses. Make sure to contact every single person that makes contact with you.

Don’t fall into the background. Stay top of mind with a monthly newsletter, deal of the month or open house invitation.

Always show customers what’s in it for them. Sell yourself through your abilities, actions and services not through boasting, bragging or arrogance.

Make an offer they can’t refuse. Promise a free home staging quote, t-shirt, mortgage broker quote or even a useful real estate report if they fill out a form. Remember, everyone LOVES something for free. Tag team with an industry specialist to make it happen.

Identify what makes you different from every other money-hungry agent. Create a Unique Selling Proposition for your services and run with it. Make it the bread-and-butter of your business.

Ask them for referrals, testimonials, questions and requests. Keep your phone number and e-mail visible and in the right places. Present a call to action that encourages them to follow through.

Make your REALTOR® website a real estate research headquarters. Give your visitors ALL the info they need to know. You can bet buyers & sellers will get online to make an informed decision long before they take any definitive action with an agent. Why not be the one-stop-shop? Appeal to their every real estate need, want and desire. With the right marketing and advertising strategies, they will stay on your site longer and visit more often. That’s how you ring in the qualified sales. Cha-ching!

Real Estate Asset Managers List

I get many questions from agent. The most common is “Why is it so challenging to get into the REO listing business?” The best way I can answer this is by addressing the corporate sellers major concerns. A corporate seller will more often than not, want someone with property management experience. If they don’t have experience in property management, they’ll want a proven track record with the handling of assets. That’s the reason, for those of you who have been in real estate for a while, you see the same agents getting REO listings, as in the previous REO market. They are usually agents that are in contact with the lenders during the markets when there isn’t REO listings.

One thing most over look is that during the good times of real estate, there is still some foreclosure activity. Most forget about foreclosure during “good markets.” They’re to much work, they don’t pay enough, there’s to many demands. This is something they typically hear from agents. That’s precisely the reason they go back to agents that have served their needs. Taking on new agents exposes them to inexperience, miss-management of the asset and liability for anything that may happen in the property while its in the care of the agent. Not to mention they make less money if they have to be taking the listings from one agent to another, when one fails to perform.

The best way to be considered for listing assignments is by proving to your contacts or asset managers that you are serious about the business. You need to learn the language and get educated in that side of the business. Certifications help. It tells them you at least take the time to get some education on the subject. Not just ask for listings because you have a license. Real Estate Asset Managers List

For that reason you see agents that complete BPO’s day and night getting a listing here and there. They have proven they have the work ethic it takes to be an REO agent. I know colleagues who have been tenacious about they’re pursuit of listings and have attained them, through constant contact with asset managers. Via any means possible, face to face, email and phone. It’s not always necessary to do BPO’s till your blue in the face. It’s a good way, just not the only way. Consistently contacting asset managers, if you know where to find their information, will also get you listings.

Finally, as I mentioned above, get educated in the REO side of real estate. It will take dedication to learn. Complete BPO’s and most importantly, be consistent when you contact asset managers. They will blow you off. Expect it, yet understand that at some point in time you will catch them with their guard down and they will let you in, hopefully with a listing. Real Estate Asset Managers List

Rick Neild and Lisa Hamant were amazed after four separate rooms were transformed into one multi-functional modern kitchen.

Originally, they commissioned Kitchen Design Centre to turn their traditional kitchen into a more practical room – to be used as a family gathering point.

But the end result was that the old kitchen, utility room, dining room and an unused area was transformed into one all-purpose luxury living space.

“Kitchen Design Centre exceeded my expectations – creating a fantastic spacious room with many uses,” said Rick.

“At first, all we wanted to do was replace the hob in our existing kitchen – but we ended up getting a brand new room.”

“When we were shopping around, the intention was to build on our cozy old-fashioned kitchen. But when we visited Kitchen Design Centre there was such an exciting range of modern designer kitchens that we completely changed our minds.”

As well as an “island working space” in the centre of the designer kitchen, there is a dining area and glass door that allows light to pour into the room – creating a bright and homely feel.

“The kitchen houses all the latest modern Neff appliances,” said Rick. “They greatly assist our day-to-day living – including warming drawers, twin fridge freezers and a ‘100 degrees’ boiling water tap – a Quooker.”

“Everyone should own a Quooker. It makes a huge difference to our lifestyle – cutting down cooking times dramatically.

“I liked to the way Kitchen Design Centre came out to our home and were concerned about every little practical detail. They even went as far as to suggest cupboards and appliances appropriate to our heights.

“The fantastic designs from Emma, our designer, really gave us an accurate depiction of what to expect.”

Emma, Designer at Kitchen Design Centre, said: “The final product was nothing like what the couple originally planned, but a collaborative effort between us, Rick and Lisa enabled us to create their dream kitchen.

“To make the different areas into one amazing room, we knocked through several walls and built an extra large glass door. The kitchen is now extremely spacious and bright.”

Rick is more than happy with both the end product and the help he received from Kitchen Design Centre.

“I am extremely pleased with our new designer kitchen,” he said. “Every time someone walks into our house they are stunned by the transformation.

“I would certainly recommend Kitchen Design Centre to my friends. The attention to detail, as well as the help we received from both designers and workmen, made the company a pleasure to work with.”

Kitchen Design centre provides kitchens Manchester, Blackburn and Colne.

For more information, visit http://www.kitchendesigncentre.com.