Fort Myers Real Estate School: florida real estate license school

239-344-7510

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Meeting and Qualifying the Buyer Pt. 1--Florida Real Estate School

Meeting and Qualifying the Buyer Part 1

Every sales associate has war stories about indecisive, demanding, disloyal, or financially irresponsible buyers. These questions can help you determine a buyer’s motivation upfront.

It's important find out whether buyers have completely unrealistic expectations.

1. How long have you been looking?

2. Are you working with another sales associate or broker? If yes, whom?

If the buyer is working with another agent, then you must destroy that agent.

3. Do you rent or own your current home?

4. What is your monthly rent or mortgage payment?

5. Must you sell a home before buying? If yes, what is the status?

6. Must you complete a lease period before buying? If yes, how long is the lease?

"We're really going to miss our old place."

7. Do you have a budget for monthly payments? If yes, how much?

8. What's your price range?

9. Has a lender prequalified you for a loan? If yes, for how much?

Ask these qualifying questions of your buyer and you will be more suited to meet their needs in no time. Check back soon for Part 2!

About Larson Educational Services:

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

1400 Colonial Blvd. Suite 44

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-344-7510

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Keys to Effective Advertising for Buyers--Florida Real Estate School

Keys to Effective Advertising for Buyers

Institutional Advertising – Marketing – Image Advertising

Your goal with advertising to buyers is to create a favorable image and differentiation. But be careful because most consumers choose an agent based on a personal referral rather than a bus bench or billboard. Especially if that billboard looks like this:

Photo credits: torontocondos.com

Specific Advertising

With specific advertising, you are trying to stimulate activity on a specific property. Therefore, once a property is listed, it’s time to get to work finding a buyer.

The A.I.D.A. Approach to Advertising

The A.I.D.A. approach to advertising dates back many years, and is a useful guide for anyone who needs to write a sales ad, especially agents with little or no ad-writing experience.

Attention: Write a headline that describes the number one feature of the property to sell them on reading the ad

Headlines
Word combinations
Typefaces and layouts
Color

Interest: Once you get their attention you need to cultivate interest

Connect the opening line to the headline; get to the point of the headline immediately
Use short sentences, and punchy words
Don’t lead with numbers; the decision comes from the heart
Don’t talk about special offers or discounts at this point

Desire: Create excitement by appealing to the senses

List a benefit for every feature
Use clear and concise language
Build mental images
Establish the credibility of your claims

Action: Convince them to make a purchase

Be convincing without being pushy
Call to action -- Be clear about the step to take
The TV pros offer a special price and place a time-limit on it to get them to act NOW!

Follow these rules for effective advertising and you will be selling more homes in no time.

About Larson Educational Services:

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

1400 Colonial Blvd. Suite 44

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-344-7510

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Real Estate Photography Tips Pt. 2--Florida Real Estate School

Check out part 1 of our Real Estate Photography Tips here: Part 1

8 Key Strategies for Effective Photography Part 2

5. When possible use a wide angle lens. 

This type of lens will allow you to bring more of the room into the picture and produce an interesting shot. For exterior shots a wide lens allows you to get closer to the facade without cutting the ends of the house out of the picture. Never take a shot that does not include the entire facade of the house. 

This is a wide angle lens shot that captures the entire room.

6. When possible use a tripod. 

Using a tripod forces the photographer to think more about composition and allows the use of slower shutter speeds for shots with existing light. Using a tripod allows the camera to be placed at better angles, such as in a tight corner, or up high shooting down both produce more aesthetic, interesting photos.   

Yeah, this guy wishes he were using a tripod.

7. Zoom in on the details. 

Include close up shots of fine woodwork, high end fixtures, or beautiful surfaces such as granite, tile or marble. These shots complete the image of quality you are trying to portray of your listing.

This close-up shows off the stellar granite countertops.

8. Consider photo editing software to touch up your photographs before posting. 

There are many free, and affordable software packages that will allow you to adjust exposure, crop your image, or adjust color saturation and hue for a more pleasing picture.

Color saturation is amped up in this photo to make the landscaping pop.

Follow these rules for effective real estate photography and you too can make homes sparkle!

About Larson Educational Services:

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

1400 Colonial Blvd. Suite 44

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-344-7510

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Real Estate Photography Tips Pt. 1--Florida Real Estate School

How many times have you seen a listing with photos that looked like this?

How long has this one been listed for?

So, ummm, what exactly am I looking at here?

(Photo credit http://terriblerealestateagentphotos.com/)

Those are pretty bad. But you also don’t want to spend an arm and a leg getting them done professionally. We understand. That’s why we have compiled…

8 Key Strategies for Effective Photography (Part 1)

1. Use the "Golden Hours"

Use the hour just after sunrise and the hour just before sunset to capture exterior images in their best light. The sun at lower angles has a warmer more pleasing light and casts shadows that add depth and dimension to your photograph. 

The early morning shadows make the home look warm and inviting.

 2. Pay attention to the orientation of the front facade of the house. 

Any house with an easterly facing facade will have the best light and be best photographed in the morning with the rising sun (like the one above). Houses with a westerly facing facade are best shot in late afternoon. The most challenging shots are due north and south facades.  For these shots, wait for a cloudy day or shoot in early evening and take advantage of the home’s exterior lighting to create an interesting mood.   

The impending storm in the background turns this home into a beacon of safety.

 3. Avoid flash for interior shots when possible. 

The camera flash produces an intense white light that causes bright reflection and harsh shadows. Instead, try setting up your camera on a tripod and using existing lights and a longer shutter speed. Another technique when flash is required is to bounce the flash off the ceiling (provided you are using an adjustable flash head). This diffused, reflected light fills the room in a more pleasing way. 

Credit: http://massrealestatenews.com/

4. Remove all clutter from the picture. 

Remove all the kids’ drawings from the fridge. Take all appliances from kitchen counter tops, and remove most, if not all, of the homeowners "personal" decorations such as trophies, figurines, etc. Consider removing furniture such as occasional chairs or end tables from the shot to simplify the scene. Ash trays, TV remotes, dog toys, and nick-nacks have no place in professional real estate photos. 

Yes, even pigs count as clutter--get them out of the photos!

Follow these rules for effective real estate photography and you can make homes sparkle!

Check back soon for part 2!

About Larson Educational Services:

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

1400 Colonial Blvd. Suite 44

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-344-7510

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Larson Educational Services is a hole-in-one

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

1400 Colonial Blvd., Suite 44

Fort Myers, Florida

33907

www.LarsonEd.com

239-344-7510

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Common SuperStar Agent Traits--Florida Real Estate School

Now, more than ever, SuperStar agents are focused on the needs of today’s consumer yet constantly learning and understanding how the audience they WILL serve is evolving and how their expectations are changing. Those agents who are among the most successful embody a handful of traits that allow them to mold their approach to their clients’ needs on a case-by-case basis.

Common Traits of SuperStar Agents

1.Education is the foundation: they are constantly learning

2.They are constantly on the go: they have mobility

3.They have a healthy balance of logic and emotion: they are creative

4.They have attitude, pride, and discipline: they are self-sustaining

5.They convert knowledge and experience to growth: they advance continually

6.They have a positive outward appearance: they have a good attitude and look good

7.They help others and support the industry: they are team players

8.They have marketing expertise: they market themselves and property

9.They are excellent communicators: they know how to present

10.Their personality attracts people: they have legions who send referrals

11.They get what they want by giving the customers what they want: they practice “what's in it for you” rather than “what's in it for me”

12.They have failed often: “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”

13.They understand that “selling” is not a nasty word: “Selling isn’t doing something to somebody, it is doing something for somebody.”

14.They don’t make excuses: “It’s a tough market” is an example of an excuse

15.They live and operate ethically: They “do the right thing” because it’s the “right thing to do”

Follow these 15 common traits and you too can become a SuperStar agent.

About Larson Educational Services:

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

1400 Colonial Blvd. Suite 44

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-344-7510