While some wait on Sitzer/Burnett, others are filling their pipelines with 19 listings for 2024...here is how

If you're tracking the Sitzer/Burnett trial and hoping to hear the Judge’s final ruling you’re going to be waiting for awhile. According to a court order filed Tuesday, any post-trial motions the defendants wish to file need to be submitted by Jan. 8, 2024. Then, the plaintiffs have until Feb. 26, 2024, to file oppositions to the defendants’ motions and then the defendants have until March 18, 2024, to file their responses. After all post-trial motions are resolved, there will be another 30-day waiting period until a judgment is executed. In other words, we may be waiting until April or even May of 2024 to hear the final ruling.

In the meantime, focus on filling your pipeline for the spring with as many listings as you can. I spoke with one agent last week who already has 19 listings in the pipeline for 2024 because of all of their hard work with their referral network and client database. 19! How would you feel knowing you have 19 listings already lined up for next year? There are sellers out there for those who are looking for them daily. Not sure what activities to do to generate that type of business? Download our Agent Action document full of more than 150 things Real Estate Pros can do to generate business all organized by the time of year and type of activity.

Keep Elevating Our Industry.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #elevateOurIndustry #referrals #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

4 Things To Do Now in Real Estate

There has been no lack of drama, conversations and distractions in real estate this week with the verdict of the Sitzer/Burnett trial being announced. I am Dave Veldkamp, owner of RE/MAX GR. Certainly this is a critical moment in our industry. More questions than answers at this point in time. So while we wait for the judge’s final ruling and let the appeals process sort itself out, here are 4 things to take action on:

1. Focus on controlling what you can at the moment (this includes our attitudes) and don’t get distracted by the things you cannot

2. Execute your daily strategies to get listings and be in control of your local market

3. Be a true PRO and know how to communicate your value

4. Build out your competitive advantages and your plan for marketing them.

Keep elevating our industry.

Dave Veldkamp

Out Pace the Market By 20%

Most of us didn’t get into real estate because we wanted no control over our success. Actually, for most of us I would guess the exact opposite is true. We wanted to have more direct control of our results. Yet, when the market is down and sales are down, it’s easy to point to the market. At times, I’ve heard that little voice in my head saying “Well the market is down and I have not control over how that affects my sales. It’s no surprise my sales are slumping too.” In that moment, I let my control disappeared because I felt better about my results when it was the market’s fault.

That begs the question, is that true? Do we lose control of the success of our businesses when the market drops? Should we accept that there is nothing we can do? Should we accept that there is no deals to be found? To find answers to these questions, I compared the production of the top 100 agents YTD with the same time period last year. Here’s what I found…they have sold 80 more homes than last year a 2% increase in a market that is down 17% in sales. They are out pacing the market by nearly 20%. They have sold nearly 81M more in volume. A 5% increase in a market down 13%. Out pacing the market by 18%.

Turns out there are sales to be found. Turns out the market conditions, while challenging, don’t define results.  If you're feeling a like you have lost control of your results and success, don’t let the market lull you into passivity. The actions you chose to take still have a direct effect on your end results. You don’t have to just ride the waves of the market. You can out pace this market. 100 agents have proved it. You can too.

If you are searching for the right actions to take in this market send me a message. I’ll share what’s working now. Keep elevating our industry. 

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Video: https://youtu.be/IoL79OF5g8M

The #1 Reason Why Real Estate Agents Don't Get Referrals

70% of consumer can’t remember their real estate agents name after just 12 months. I am Dave Veldkamp, owner of RE/MAX GR. Considering 85% of those consumers say they would recommend their agent, it sounds like there is some easy to acquire business being left on the table.

Let do some quick math. If I closed just 10 sales 12 months ago, then 7 clients no longer remember my name.  Statistics tell me that of the 7 clients approximately 4 them would have recommended me at least once and about 2 of them would recommend me 4 times or more. That’s 12 missed sales by not being visible enough to help those past clients remember my name. If the 12 missed sales aren’t enough to spur any action, just multiply it by the average sales price and calculate the potential commission.

I think it’s safe to say we all love to work by referral. These statistics say that as an industry, we aren’t making it very easy for past clients to refer us. So don’t over think it. Connect with you past clients regularly and not only will your business will reap the benefits, the consumer will get a better experience working with a true pro.

If your looking for an easy to execute system to stay in touch with your past clients and not lose out on those 12 deals you’ll want to check out our free $20M referral program being released soon. Send me a message for more information and the release date. 

Keep Elevating Our Industry.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

8 Additional Annual Real Estate Sales in 4 Simple Steps

We are releasing our latest Quarterly Market Summary designed to save you time on research and give you a reason to connect with all of your database this month. Whether you call, text or email them, let them know how the market and home values are changing in their area.

This one chart could generate 8 additional annual real estate sales in 4 simple steps if you take advantage of it quarterly. Curious how? Download the a step-by-step guide with all the resources you’ll need using the link in the video description.

Don’t wait too long…its the most effective the sooner you take action after Quarterly Summary is released. All we ask in return for the effort we put in to create it is for you to send us some feedback or hit the subscribe button.

Keep elevating our industry!

Quarterly Market Summary

https://mcusercontent.com/abc553143ac320f3dfb46a4c7/files/026305bd-726c-7da7-ef8d-986104ea0fcf/Market_Summary_Guide_Q3_2023_Letter.pdf

Link to 8 More Annual Real Estate Sales in 4 Simple Steps https://mcusercontent.com/bb653123de62bdf6375db13d4/files/906d02b6-b664-754c-953c-e856cc0885b0/8_More_Sales_A_Year.pdf

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

4x Your Referrals

How many people have sent you 4 or more referrals?

I am Dave Veldkamp, owner of RE/MAX GR. According to NAR’s statistics 27% of your clients will send you 4 or more referrals. And if that is true, then the same statistic tells us that 1 of those 4 referrals will refer you another 4 times. You can see how this can snowball. So the big questions is…do you know who your 27%ers are?

If “YES", you’re already ahead of 90% of your colleagues. The next question for you is how are you consistently adding value and strengthening those relationships? If you answered “No” it's time to identify them, because you are losing business. 

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

5 Easy Ways to Make Social Media Algorithms Work for Your Real Estate Business

1.Most algorithms work on comments not likes. If you want more people to see your stuff, ask questions people want to answer in the comments. For example, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you with your current home?” Might get you some leads too!

2. Message through your platform more. If you want more people to see your posts, use your platform to message more. It tells the algorithm to send them more of your stuff.

3. The word “Congratulations” triggers algorithm to show your post a vast majority of everyone in your sphere not just a small fraction which some estimate to be below 6% of your followers or friends. 

4. What other people searched. For a moment imagine you're a buyer or seller, go to google and type in something they might search for. Then scroll down to the section that says “Related Searches”. These are other searches people have done. Google is telling you what people are typing in the search bar! Use this to create titles and subtitles for your content! 

5. Algorithms reward spending. The more you spend the less expensive it is per view. Spend at least $10 a day on paid ads.

Keep Elevating Our Industry.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

How We Know Who Will Be Selling Their Home Next

Do you want to know who will sell next? We can tell you and show you how to leverage that information into more sales. I am Dave Veldkamp, owner of RE/MAX GR. Every year NAR tells us who is selling through their profile of a seller. It tells you the most common characteristics of sellers. Their average age, tenure at their current home, how they found their agent and so much more. You can find a link to the latest profile here.

How do we leverage the data for more deals? We deliver our message to those most likely to sell and here's how. Many title companies will pull addresses for a small fee. Many of you do this already, think just listed or just sold postcards. Most of us just have them pull homes in a specific geographic area. Did you know that they can search for a variety of facts on specific homeowners including age, tenure at the home, income, mortgage information and more.

Is this sounding familiar to the info from the seller profile? If the average seller is 56, we look for homeowners who are 51-61. If the average seller has a tenure of 10 years, we pull homes that have had the same owner for 8 or more years. When we want to get a specific message to homeowners with a significant amount of equity, we pull mortgage information. These are the next people to sell who need to hear our compelling messages. There are 4 more ways we leverage this information for more sales just us the link in the description. Now if all of this sounds interesting, but you're saying to yourself “this sounds like a lot of time and effort” ask me about First.io an app that can do it automatically.

As always our goal is to elevate our industry, which means we need to get our messages to more people in our industry. You can help by sharing this video with someone you think would benefit. A win for them and good will for you!

Keep Elevating Our Industry.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Your Competitive Edge with Real Estate Leads

20% less people are moving. Which means less opportunities and leads to go around, so when you get a lead you’ll want a competitive edge. I’m Dave Veldkamp, owner of RE/MAX GR. In a market that is down 20% you’ll need to convert leads at a 25% higher rate than before just to stay even with last year. How do we do that? We book more appointments. 80% of consumers only meet with one agent. How do we book more appointments? Give them a compelling reason to meet using Emotional Transformation Communication (ETC), your competitive edge.

Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. What are they feeling? What are they concerned about? What is their ideal outcome? What challenges and stresses do they want to avoid? How do they want to feel in the end? What do you offer that answers those concerns, avoids those challenges and delivers their ideal outcome and feeling? ETC creates a framework that shows the consumer that you understand them, which sets the foundation for building trust. It shows you have a solution that has helped others who were experiencing the same situation, feeling the same way and most importantly they reached their ideal outcome. This leaves the consumer curious to see if it will work the same way for them.

Not only will ETC increase your conversion rate, it can be used throughout the transaction building a deeper relationship, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood of referrals. If you want to take ETC to another level, we will be doing a deep dive covering examples from every part of the sales process at our free webinar tomorrow, September 7th at 11am. Register using the link in today’s email. If you found this video at all helpful, all I ask is that you share it with someone else who could benefit from it as well.

Keep Elevating Our Industry.

Link to webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApc-iqpzkrGNdhyo4vVqvnVaykzsyTH8AG#/registration

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Are client expectations and emotions leaving you feeling drained?

Are client expectations and emotions leaving you feeling drained? I’m Dave Veldkamp, owner of RE/MAX GR. Emotional Transformation Communication, based on the science of how the human mind works, is a powerful tool for addressing emotions, building connections and setting expectations. Clients will feel that you understand their feelings, circumstances and goals which quickly establishes trust. They will think “This person gets me” paving the way for you to guide them to their housing goals. From there you can offer a specific solution that you have used to help others who have felt the same way sharing the positive experience and feelings they found in the end.

This is the Feel, Felt, Found framework of ETC. I understand how your feel, "so and so" felt the same way (describe the emotion), they found that “blank" (name of your specific solution) resulted in “blank" (the positive outcome) and them feeling “blank” (describe the new positive feeling). Not only does this help you address your client’s emotions, it has the potential to double your conversion rate!

If you want to take ETC to another level, we will be doing a deep dive covering examples from every part of the sales process from lead generation to post closing at our free webinar next week Thursday, September 7th at 11am. Register using the link in today’s email. If you found this video at all helpful, all I ask is that you share it with someone else who could benefit from it as well.

Keep Elevating Our Industry. 

https://youtu.be/lH_VeHe8Vzs

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Don’t Let the Media Confuse Your Real Estate Clients & Prospects

Goldman Sachs claims residential real estate is in gridlock. Morgan Stanley says home values will finish flat this year and drop 2% next year. NAR reports that the housing recession is over and we will see 15% more sales in 2024. Zillow predicts 6.4% value increases by the end of this year and an over 7% value increases in many major markets next year. Are you confused yet? The consumer certainly is.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to media coverage of the housing market. With so many conflicting reports, it leave the consumer wondering what's right? The uncertainty is paralyzing many, stopping them from moving forward with their housing dreams. They feel stuck because they can’t see a way forward amidst all the clutter of conflicting information and they certainly don’t want to make the wrong decision with such a large investment.

This is your opportunity. You, as a true pro, can add clarity to this confusion. You can be their guide to reach their goals. But do they know that about you? Do they know you understand the market and can offer them specific solutions to the challenges holding them back? Do they know you’re an industry expert?  Are you their “go to resource” for all real estate related news because you have been consistently and conveniently connecting with them with relevant information?  If you can’t answer yes to these questions, what’s one thing you can do this week to start changing that? If you’re interested in specific resources to help you answer yes to these questions send me a message.

Keep elevating our industry!

https://youtu.be/DBd6Ix5m_9w

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Top 500 Agents Speak Up...

At the mid-year mark we ask the top 500 agents “Other than market conditions, what is the biggest challenge in your business?” We received an overwhelming amount of responses and want to say thank you to each of you who responded. We greatly appreciate it. The responses ranged from managing emotions and expectations to finding balance to keeping the pipeline full to finding more time in the day. Although the answers were many, several common themes rose to the top. From there we asked, how can we help? We went hunting for answers to your challenges and compiled an 8 pages document of relevant resources, links, charts, books and videos organized and searchable by topic.

We have already shared it with each of the agents who provided a response. Thank you again. Now we are making it available to you. Chances are you are facing many of the same challenges. Here are real solutions. Why not get rid of as many challenges as possible? Use the link in today’s email to download your copy. When you download, you can help as well. Keep the momentum going by either emailing us your biggest challenge, sharing an additional resource we didn’t include or share these resources with another person who would benefit from them.

Top Agent Mid-Year Survey Resources

Keep Elevating Our Industry!

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Eliminating That Overwhelmed Feeling

Overwhelmed. Often, that is how I feel when I hear about one more system, process or tech that I need to implement for my real estate business. My mind groans because I haven't implemented the last 3 suggestions from the previous company sales meetings.

This week, do the opposite. Give yourself permission to eliminate something. We tend to hold on to certain tasks because we have always done things that way, we are fearful of what will happen if we stop and we are uncomfortable when we don’t feel busy. So we fill our days with our regular to do lists without really evaluating what activities are really the most valuable. In reality, it is very healthy to regularly evaluate and eliminate your least valuable tasks to avoid the overwhelming feeling cause by all the clutter of “to dos”.

Lisa Bodell, author of “Why Simple Works” offers this strategy.

1. Define “Valuable Work” for yourself and your business

2. Write down 20 or more of your most common tasks or activities

3. Circle only the task and activities that match your definition

4. Give yourself permission to eliminate (or delegate) the items you did not circle

This creates a less cluttered calendar, a less overwhelmed mind plus the time and freedom to focus on what’s most valuable. One of our primary focuses at RE/MAX GR is on helping you define your most valuable work and maximize the time you can spend on it. The result is a more enjoyable and profitable business along with a more balanced and abundant life. If that matches your goals tell us more about your business in this short questionnaire and we’ll send you some additional resources.

Link to Questionnaire: https://forms.gle/wgub7rG1r1Cyhx2d7

Keep Elevating Our Industry.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

The Gritty Truth About Real Estate

Realtors are the elite athletes of the business world. As a salesperson you manage more emotions and expectations, lead more people through stressful decisions, solve more problems, calm more nerves and receive more rejection and disappointment in a single day than the average person does in an entire year. Many enter real estate unaware of the mental toughness required to succeed. It’s the reason why 80% leave the business within the first 24 months.

Research has shown that mental toughness or what author Angela Ducksworth calls “grit” is more important for success than talent, education, skills and technique. You may be feeling your grit is being stretched to it’s limits in with our current market challenges. Top veteran agents have felt that way before in pervious market cycles. I spoke with many of them over the last two months. They found that focusing on 3 things they can control makes all the difference. Your actions, your reactions and your mindset.

With mindset being the most important, they recommend surrounding yourself with others who are full of the same positive attitude and determination so you can keep each others motivation high. For those considering a career in real estate or for team leaders looking to hire, try Angela Duckworth’s Grit Scale Test to see if you or your candidate have the mental toughness, or grit, it takes to succeed. There is a link in the notes, Keep elevating our industry.

Grit Scale Test:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pzjz1v0dadmr8r/12-item%20Grit%20Scale.pdf?dl=0

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

The Largest Wave of Home Buying Demand in U.S. History

More good news for the future of the real estate market! First, inflation hit 3% in June. We are not far off from the FED’s goal of 2% and indicators show this downward trend in inflation will continue. So have we seen the end of rate hikes? Will this downward momentum push us beyond the FED’s goal and force them to drop rates? Many experts, including former Mortgage Brokers Association CEO, David Stevens, believe it will. In every corrective action the FED has taken on record dating back to the 1960s the FED has over shot its goal resulting in minor recessions and rate reductions. Expect rates to drop in 2024 & 2025.

Additionally we have the largest population of home buyers in our nations history, plus over 4 million renters earning 150k or more annually and growing amounts of pent up sellers whose current homes won’t work for them much longer. If rates come down, they will enter the market. As a result, we are looking at several more good years for real estate in '24 & '25. Stevens says, “This nation is standing at the doorstep of the largest home buying demand in U.S. history.”

The question is will you be ready? Many are understandably burnt out from the challenges of the current market, however if you’re focused on growth now is the time to push through and take action. Use this positive news as new motivation. Set a goal to build your sphere by 5 people a week for the remaining 23 weeks in the year. Come next spring you’ll be glad you did. If you want proven methods to get prepared so you don’t miss these up coming market opportunities send me a message.

Keep elevating our industry.

For more from David Stevens, watch Brian Buffini’s Mid-Year 2023 Bold Predictions

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/9NI5YInujQs

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

#1 Deciding Factor for a Consumer When Selecting A Realtor

According to a nationwide survey, what’s the #1 deciding factor for a consumer when selecting their realtor? The agent’s professional reputation. Now competition is tougher than ever, making it even more important to position yourself as the ultimate professional and the go to expert for all real estate information. Today we are releasing our mid year real estate market summary covering all the important details of 27 different areas across our market. This mid year market summary is the absolute best tool to solidify your reputation as the top professional. So don’t waste this opportunity to share it with your sphere of influence and your farm. Send it as a letter, a postcard, an email, a text or thru social media. Whether they are looking to make a move today, in 12 months or 5 years, now is the opportune time to grab market share in their minds to secure that future sale and many referrals along the way. In fact, we release a similar update every quarter for you to share. Your sphere should come to expect to receive this document every 3 months updating them on their largest investment.

Download: Mid-Year Market Summary Guide

Keep Elevating Our Industry!

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

How to Make the Most Impactful Mid-Year Changes in Your Real Estate Business

A Mid-Year Review provides an opportunity to evaluate goals, assess finances, review tax payments, analyze the state of the industry, revisit marketing budgets, and evaluate published content. Below we explore these key areas and provide valuable suggestions for conducting a your own mid-year review of your real estate business.

Reviewing Goals:

Start by revisiting the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Determine which goals you've achieved, which are in progress, and identify any that need adjustment or realignment. Didn’t set any goals? Set some for the second half.

Projected Sales Total:

With 47% of sales closed in the first half of the year, you can estimate your projected sales total for the entire year by dividing your year-to-date sales by 0.47. This calculation aids in forecasting and setting realistic targets for the remainder of the year.

Evaluating Finances:

Review your income and expenses, comparing them against your projections. Analyze profit margins, cash flow, and overall financial stability. Identify areas of improvement, cost-cutting measures, and opportunities for growth.

Reviewing Quarterly Tax Payments:

Assess if your estimated tax payments are accurate and if any adjustments are needed. Consider consulting with a tax professional to ensure compliance with current tax laws and regulations. This proactive approach can help avoid penalties and unnecessary stress at the end of the year.

Analyzing the State of the Industry:

Review the local real estate market's performance, including property values, inventory levels, and demand. Analyze changes in interest rates, inflation and government policies. Adapt your strategies accordingly.

Revisiting Your Marketing Budget:

Evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives. Analyze the return on investment (ROI) for each marketing channel. Identify high-performing channels and consider reallocating funds from underperforming areas.

Assessing Published Content:

Examine the impact and engagement levels of your published content. Review the content's relevance, quality, and consistency with your brand image and the market conditions. Identify the content that resonated most with your audience and repurpose it for wider reach. 

A mid-year review is a critical checkpoint for you to assess your progress, realign goals, and make informed decisions moving forward. You'll be better positioned to adjust strategies and achieve success in the second half of the year.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Good News About Inflation & Rates You Need to Share

In our current housing market, we haven’t had much good news to share this year. Sales are slower, inventory is tight, it is a brutal market for buyers. However, some of the most recent economic reports show there is light at the end of the tunnel. Inflation was lower than expected at 4% at the end of May, down from 4.9% in April and a high of a 11% last year. While this is still above the FED’s goal of 2% this trend is expected to continue which means mortgage rates are expected to decrease later this year and into 2024. In fact, many experts in the industry, including the Mortgage Brokers Association, NAR, FreddieMac and Bank of America recently predicted mortgage interest rates near 5.5% by the end of 2023. Make sure you are the one to share the good news with your sphere of influence. 

If we see this decrease materialize, we can expect a busy real estate market in 2024. The question is what are you doing now to prepare? How are you positioning yourself to capture more of the 2024 market? If you wait until the new year to ramp up your efforts you will be to late. In our last company meeting we covered who will be moving in 2024, where to find them and how to become the top agent in their mind. If you’re wondering how you should be getting ready send me an email.

Keep Elevating Our Industry!

https://youtu.be/kxsbKijLidw

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

How To Increase Your Average Sales Price

Many agents set the goal to increase their average sales price. Yet other than increases due to the market, few agents ever achieve this goal. Well, there is one sure fire way to increase your average sales price. As a bonus, the same process will also allow you to choose who you work with. Sounds pretty good, I get to sell at higher price point and be picky about who I work with. Where do I sign up?

The solution is incredibly simple, yet many won’t choose this path, but you can! Are you ready for it? It’s simply more dedicated and consistent lead generation. When you have more leads coming in you simply get to be pickier about the clients you work with and who you pass on to someone else, for a referral fee by the way. The results not only include better paydays, but more enjoyable experiences as you work with more like minded people, who respect and appreciate your services.

The way I look at it, you’re going to put in the hard work somewhere. Either at the beginning, finding more leads. Or in the end with more challenging real estate clients and situations. The choice is yours. Keep elevating our industry.

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan

Become the Top Realtor in More People’s Minds

Do you have an on-boarding process when you meet someone new and you want to add them to your database? Studies have shown that in order to solidify yourself in their mind as the top real estate expert, as a person worth working with or referring, you will need to establish a system that connects with them once a week for at least 10 weeks in a row. And no, an impersonal 10 email drip campaign will not get the job done. Instead make it a combination of mailings, emails, phone calls, text messages and small gifts. After the initial 10 week program, you have made a strong enough connection that you can transition them to your regular client appreciate program. Make it a goal to add at least new 2 people a week to your on-boarding program and in a year you’ll 100 more people in you sphere and your referrals and sales will grow. If you would like some examples of a database on-boarding program send me an email.

Keep Elevating Our Industry. 

David Veldkamp

Owner | RE/MAX GR

Mobile: 616.460.6123

Office: 616.957.0700

#RealEstate #Realtor #RealEstateAgent #RealtorLife #RealEstateLife #grandrapidsmi #grandrapidsrealestate #remaxgr #remaxhustle #remaxmichigan