You hear alot about 100% commission but with all the junk fees you don’t see it. With eXp you get 80/20 Split with the Potential to Earn 100%+.  At eXp you With eXp, “the worlds first fully Immersive web 3.0 Real Estate Company” you get to take your office with you it’s online and is really a office. You haveto always be training to build your business and sometimes you miss the training that you need. All thetraining is recorded and accessible 24/7 to all agents. The state Broker here in Arizona Suzanne Fuqua  is the nicest broker we’ve had the pleasure to work with. She’s always willing to help and is concerned with helping you grow your business like the whole eXp family. The working the magic team will build you a state of the art website and show you how to use SEO to brand yourself as an expert. continue reading > http://thebrooksteamaz.com/?p=5663

Before I tell you how I made an extra $20,300…let me tell you a bit about our AWESOME company.

I am not talking about the ability to upload documents electronically to your office. I am not talking about webinars or teleconferencing. I am not even talking about virtual meetings as most people know it. I am talking about a VIRTUAL office. REALLY!

Unless you have experienced this type of environment it is hard to explain. We really DO meet in cyberspace. Face to face and in real time. Moving from office to office. Holding classes and meetings in conference rooms or theater type seating (or maybe in our vitrual Cafe). Here is a picture of one of our Monday morning meetings called XCamp.

Each of those “avatars” is actually a person sitting in on a session. I do not remember what the subject was…maybe blogging, maybe info on a new social media site, or maybe a short sale round table discussion. Or it might have been a guest speaker from somewhere around the country. Whatever it was…I was sitting in and learning from my home office…with my dogs at my feet…(maybe still in my jammies). Or…wait…maybe that was the day I had my laptop outside by the pool enjoying a cup of tea and watching the hummingbirds while sitting in and absorbing great information.

And that is just the TIP of the training opportunities…From the bi-weekly New Agent Orientation to the popular Monday Morning XCamp the eXp Training Calendar has it all. The Calendar can always be found here. AND almost all training and classes are recorded…so if you miss something you wanted to see…just head over to eXp University at your leisure…and you can play the session. COOL!

OK…so how has all of this helped me make more money? In addition to all of this great, RELEVANT training…we have SUPER SMART people making sure our company web sites are on page ONE of Google and other search engines for terms like “Phoenix Real Estate” or “Scottsdale Real Estate”. Take a look…I did a search here and our site, scottsdaleparadise.com…comes up number 3 AFTER the paid ads on the top.

Because of this…we generate many leads…and they are given to agents like me! So…by diligently following up with these folks that have registered on our site…I have been able to turn them into actual clients. I have sold homes to folks from Washington DC, Rhode Island and Kentucky so far this year. I would have NEVER had the opportunity to help these people if I had not been connected to them through eXp’s web site. And due to this I have earned $16,872.00.(BTW…they have ALL been super great people to work with as well)

AND THERE IS MORE! eXp offers something called Revenue Sharing. If you introduce a fellow agent to eXp and they join our team…YOU get a small percentage of their gross commissions.

When I first joined the company this was NOT something I was real excited about. I guess I just did not “get it”. But I get it now! I have a few people who have joined me at eXp and because of this I have made an additional $3522.38 this year! Not bad huh?

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS COMPANY. After 20+ years in the business it is almost a given that an agent will begin to burn out. And I was feeling that prior to my joining eXp. But not now! I LOVE MY JOB AGAIN! Yipeeeee!!!

Take a look at this and PLEASE contact me if you are an agent and maybe just a bit curious about what eXp has to offer….

As always… if you are looking for a GREAT agent to help with your real estate needs please e-mail me at Adele@GreaterPhoenixHomes.com or give me a call (or text) at 602-504-3898 or 888-897-7821 x 114. Plus, I have a GREAT search tool on my web site that gives you the ability to search the entire MLS…just like agents do. Very COOL!  Go to Metro Phoenix Homes For Sale and check it out! YOU can create and save as many searches as you would like…and it is THE SAME SEARCH I DO AS AN AGENT! You will LOVE it!

THIS IS THE BEST MOST ACCURATE SEARCH OF OUR LOCAL MLS

ATTENTION AGENTS…Is your Real Estate Career or Company taking you where you want to go?
Need MORE business?  Need MORE leads?  What has your company done for you lately?
Ask Me Why… I joined eXp Realty.

How about another solution for some of you agents?  There exists a company built exclusively on the premise of utilizing cutting edge technology, cost effectiveness, education and revenue sharing while providing leads, coaching/mentoring and most importantly, Leadership.  This company is:  eXp Realty.

For seasoned Realtors eXp Realty offers the opportunity to build your own Brokerage within a Brokerage.  The sharing of information is open, positive and creative.  All agents are able to communicate utilizing a multitude of mediums, i.e. e-mail, VOIP (voice over internet provider) tele conferencing, instant messaging or even sitting across from one another in a virtual office cafe.  The experience is unparalleled with anything you’ve ever experienced.  (Welcome to the age of technology….Welcome to eXp Realty!)

For new agents eXp Realty has a Mentor program.  When a new agent is brought on board there is someone within the organization who has brought him or her to eXp Realty.  This person is unofficially designated as the Mentor.   But no matter how you slice it, there is always someone who knows more about something than someone.  At eXp Realty there are informative meetings, education classes, message boards, online “how to do it” televideos and much, much more.  The importance of getting a new realtor off to a successful start is the ultimate goal of eXp Realty. 

Find out why agents are making a Smart Move to our Smart Brokerage.  Check This Out!

Did you know eXp Realty is changing the landscape of the Real Estate industry and getting a lot of attention from some of the leading industry publications.  Read More….  

For an invitation to one of our upcoming Xcamp sessions click here.  Make sure to add my name in the notes section (Michael Lopez) so we can meet…..Virtually!

eXp Realty was Founded October 2009, Now in 17 States.  Let me help you bring eXp to your Market….Virtually!

EVERYTHING is more difficult than it was a few years ago. Most of us (those that have managed to say in the business)…are working twice as hard for half of the money.

But I have been repeatedly pissed off (if you will excuse the term) about one thing or another ALMOST every time I have had to deal with a bank owned property when representing my buyer clients.

Here are  couple things that really irritate me and my clients:

NUMBER ONE: Inaccurate information in the MLS about the availability of the home. We have a special field in MLS to disclose if the property has offers in that are being considered.

This weekend I went to show homes to some folks who were visiting the area for a short while. They took the time to call their lender and get all of their ducks in a row to be ready to buy should they find a home that suited their needs. I, as any good agent would, called to arrange showings of several homes…and check to see if they were still available as noted in MLS.

There was one agent who not only would not return my call…but would not respond to texting or e-mails. Skeptically, I went ahead and showed my clients the home. Well…of course that was THE home for them…so we prepared and sent over an offer.

NOW that he got our offer, the agent replies that he has “a dozen or so” offers on the home and we should have presented our “highest and best” if we want to be considered.  I had a few well worded thoughts for him…thanked him for his time…and went out and did my job AGAIN and found my nice clients a home they were equally thrilled about.

BUT…it’s not like that’s OK. My clients and I would have done things differently had we know about the existence of offers. The listing agent simply did not care if he was wasting our time by not doing his job. After all, according to him he has “so many listings it is hard to keep track”. REALLY!!??

NUMBER TWO: Make sure utilities are on for buyer’s inspections…or at the very least make it known that the buyer’s will have to turn on the utilities themselves. I had an instance where my clients and I went to do the inspections and there was no power. AFTER I had called the listing agent to confirm when we were doing our inspections and being assured that the power would be on by then. AGAIN…a waste of time for me, my clients and this time the inspector as well.

Why am I writing this? Well…first…it feels good to get it out. And I am sure I have the support of  MANY of my fellow agents who would agree these are indeed two of the main issues when dealing with the banks.

BUT…why I am really writing this is to thanks a GREAT REO agent. Patty Borton. She was spectacular. She answered her phone and e-mails promptly. She followed up with us every step of the way. She made sure the home was well cared for during the escrow period. AND..she even had the AC turned on at a reasonable temperature for us!

HEADS UP to the many REO agents who are doing it NOT RIGHT. After this “crisis”‘ is over and you have no more REO listings…your fellow agents will remember how you performed and not be excited to work with you on any “regular” sales. Just know this…we have LONG memories!

As always… if you are looking for a GREAT agent to help with your real estate needs please e-mail me at Adele@GreaterPhoenixHomes.com or give me a call (or text) at 602-504-3898 or 888-897-7821 x 114. Plus, I have a GREAT search tool on my web site that gives you the ability to search the entire MLS…just like agents do. Very COOL!  Go to Metro Phoenix Homes and check it out! YOU can create and save as many searches as you would like…and it is THE SAME SEARCH I DO AS AN AGENT! You will LOVE it!

THIS IS THE BEST MOST ACCURATE SEARCH OF OUR LOCAL MLS

ATTENTION AGENTS…Is your Real Estate Career or Company taking you where you want to go?
Need MORE business?  Need MORE leads?  What has your company done for you lately?
Ask Me Why… I joined eXp Realty.

At eXp Realty we have a team of internet techs that help us with anything from SEO to setting up social media accounts. We Call them The Working The Magic team or WTM. They’re an exceptionally gifted team of internet specialist and one of the many benefits of belonging to this cutting edge web 3 based virtual Real Estate Company.

For more information on the WTM team and eXp Realty visit join eXp Realty. We have weekly X-Camps and a monthly roundtable hosted by Brad Andersohn that features a pannel of industry leaders presenting on their eXpertise. The monthly round table if open to the public. You can contact me for time and dates. You can also contact me to get a ticket to visit our virtual offices and attend an X-Camp.

So I was working with the WTM team on my blogs SEO and I posed the question to Kirk Johnson. He asked me if I new about GOOGLE INCOGNITO? I never had heard of it so he walked me through it and I thought I’d share it with you.

Being a FireFox user the first thing he had me do was download the Google Chrome Browser. This was a snap. Kirk had me open Google Chrome and then click the settings wrench in the upper right corner. You have a drop down option to open a “New Google Incognito Browser” which you click on. Here’s what you get:

You’ve gone incognito. Pages you view in this window won’t appear in your browser history or search history, and they won’t leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the incognito window. Any files you download or bookmarks you create will be preserved, however.

Going incognito doesn’t affect the behavior of other people, servers, or software. Be wary of:

• Websites that collect or share information about you
• Internet service providers or employers that track the pages you visit
• Malicious software that tracks your keystrokes in exchange for free smileys
• Surveillance by secret agents
• People standing behind you

Learn more about incognito browsing.

Because Google Chrome does not control how extensions handle your personal data, all extensions have been disabled for incognito windows. You can reenable them individually in the extensions manager.

Clear clutter away from rooms, clutter make the rooms look smaller and of course the buyer will think that the rooms are small too. The kitchen counters should be clutter free also.  furniture that is not used put in storage.   Move your furniture around in your home, sometimes the dining room become the office.   Potential buyers need to see each room has a purpose.

Rent furniture or accessories to fill in empty spaces.  Most furniture will show wear  and tear you may want to rent some newer looking furniture, you can also rent accent pieces like vase, dishes and more.

18.5% plan to pay in cash

By Inman News
Inman News™

Real estate investors are likely to be three times more active than other types of homebuyers in their local markets within the next two years, according to a nationwide survey from Realtor.com operator Move Inc.

Market research firm GfK Custom Research North America conducted the survey on behalf of Move from April 11-15, 2011. The survey included telephone interviews of 1,200 U.S. adults, of which about 200 were identified as real estate investors. Data was weighted by age, sex, education, race and geographic region.

A third of real estate investors are planning to buy in the next 24 months, compared to 8.6 percent of typical homebuyers — those planning to purchase a primary residence, vacation home or retirement property. Another 9.1 percent of typical homebuyers, and 28 percent of investors, plan to purchase between two and five years from now.

Among the investors, half plan to hold their properties for five or more years while 11 percent expect to sell within a year of purchase, according to the survey.

 Click to read more………http://lowes.inman.com/newsletter/2011/05/31/news/143883

Back then she wanted me to get my RE license, but I had my mind set on becoming the best loan officer that I could be and didn’t want to go back to school at the time. I worked for a Mortgage broker for the next 5 years, helped a lot of families with there new home purchases and refinancing of there current homes.

Fast forward to 2010, The mortgage business was not going anywhere and deals were few and hard to come by. So I had to go get a Job and map out another plan. Darlene reminded me of our plan to work side by side selling Real Estate and “Helping Peoples Dreams Come True”, So back to school I went, with the goal of getting my RE license and working side by side with my BFF and lifelong partner.

Once I completed my RE studies and passed my test, I was eager to join my wife and form “The Brooks Team Of AZ”. The former RE Company that Darlene was in didn’t seem to offer what I thought would take us where we wanted to be (Independent Top Notch Realtors).

So my search was on to a find a Real Estate Company that offered the guidance, training and support that we were looking for. I look at a lot that I shall not name, that sounded pretty tempting. One I even almost joined that offered leads, but after thinking it over and looking at what you gave up compared to what you get decided to pass.

Then while browsing craigslist I came across an ad that said:

“eXperience eXpedient eXposure…using technology in marketing your property. . .eXpress Your Real Estate Career…creating the future of real estate now!”

I clicked open the ad started reading and could hardly believe that they were offering so much, training , guidance, build your website, easy contact to Brokers all over the country all from your home office. Wow, are they for real I thought. I couldn’t wait to tell Darlene “I’ve found a new real estate company for The Brooks Team Of AZ”. That I feel has the best thing going in the business, and with great leaders and family feel will only get better

So see why all the Smart Brokers are making the Smart move to the Smart Brokerage eXp Realty!!!! http://stevebrooks.exprealty.com/

Stephen W, Brooks

623-202-3833

www.thebrooksteamaz.com

Follow us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Brooks-Team-AZ-Realtors/178283375540777

Let’s start with why most people get into Real Estate in the first place. There are a quite a few reasons folks decide to get into Real Estate and most of them are not the best reasons.

• I’ll get rich!
• I can’t find a job.
• I’m going to do it part time to supplement my current job and make a few extra dollars.
• I love to look at homes.
• I want to be my own boss and work the hours I want to work.

While all of these are true, they are all false. A career in Real Estate is like opening a business. You’re going to face long and hard hours with little rewards in the beginning. As your customer base expands so do the rewards. Even though you work for yourself so to speak, your going to be under the supervision and scrutiny of your company, broker, State and local boards and most of all…your clients! It’s hard to be a part timer in Real Estate, but not impossible. I started that way until I could get on my feet. If you really want to be a Real Estate Professional I would suggest and exit strategy from your current job using income and pipeline as a guideline. Real Estate is just like any other business. It takes an investment of time and money to build your business to a liveable and sustainable level. In Real Estate you are paid on a commission only. So what you sew is what you reap.

How do I become a Real Estate Agent in Arizona?

• Becoming a licensed Real Estate Agent is easier then most people think.
• You can get your license in less time then it takes you to become a hair stylist or a nail technician.
• It’s relatively less expensive then any other business you can own.
• You can be a Licensed Real Estate Agent in a week. Generally you will need a month for an ambitious person. I was licensed and hired in a month doing part time classes.

You’ve decided to take the next step and it is easy, but you need to know a few things first.

• A good School is going to cost you around $600
• After you graduate you need to have another $600 set aside for association and License fee.

I really think you need to budget for about $1,500 to get started. That is for your first day! That’s really not so bad for starting your own business. But wait there are more expense to follow.

So your a proud new graduate and hold a genuine Real Estate License! Congratulations. Most of you will fail! Real Estate School is all about the legalize and nothing about the how to. Let’s talk about the next steps to becoming a successful Realtor. You need to find the right company to hang your license with. Believe me when I tell you any company will hire you much to most new agents disbelief. Real Estate Companies survive on your production by charging you splits, desk fees, transition fees, transaction fees, mentor fees, and training fees. This is where I made my biggest mistake in my Real Estate Career. This is the most important mistake that every first time agent makes. It can cost you big time!

Everything you learned at School is pretty much worthless from a monetary point of view. When your starting out as a new agent you need people that might or are going to buy a home…period. And you need training on how to accomplish that ASAP! Otherwise your fees are going to eat you alive. The hardest decision you have to make is what company you’ll hang you license with. It’s also the most crucial decision you can make as a new agent. Here’s a short list of things to consider.

• Does the Company offer a Mentoring Program?
• What is the companies lead distribution procedure?
• How many leads will I get from this company?
• What training will I get from this company?
• How much will I pay for this training?
• What is the companies desk fees, split, mentor fee, time mentoring, monthly dues and contributions, including charitable.
• Do my commissions cap?

As a new agent you have to be budget conscious and practical. It’s far less important to a new agent to be with a Major Franchise that charges heavy desk fees and charges high training fees. It’s much more important to find good training and mentor-ships. But having said that, leads are king! Go to Google Chrome, hit settings, and open a google incognito search. This will give you an unadulterated search! Google “my town, my state, Real Estate“. Ditto that for 5 major search terms. Throw out the Zillows and paid advertisement and that is probably the company you should interview first! 95% of all Real Estate Starts on the internet! As an example google Phoenix AZ Real Estate. You will see eXp Realty in 1st position. Google Scottsdale AZ Real Estate and you will see eXp Realty in the first position. You’ll find similar results in most major metro areas. These sights generate mass leads. eXp Realty gets over 1,500 hits each week for that specific search term.

Leads are the first thing a new agent needs. Training is second. There are a few ways to get training. 99% involve you breaking out your credit card! The other way is FREE. Why pay for it when you can get the industries best splits, abundant leads, free training and a solid mentor-ship program? At eXp Realty I got all of this plus a free website and lots of leads.

I made the same mistakes you will probably make. I got my license and interviewed with the largest real estate company in the World, signed, got a desk and went to work. I took as much floor time as I could get and I lived in the office 7 days a week. I quickly realized that there was not going to be any free training. Oh the Agents were friendly but the guarded their marketing plans like it was The Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe. I went online and started taking classes, but each one was $25 – $100. I was burning my budget! Some agent told me about Buffini and Company so I enrolled and went to a live event. It reminded me of an Amway event! After dropping a quick $1,000 to learn that I needed to drop cookies to everyone I know I moved on. I was getting desperate when I stumbled into ActiveRain. That saved me. I became a RainMaker which set me back $29 a month. It was a solid investment but knowing what I know today I wouldn’t do it again. Besides it’s now $89 a month. I would advise you to get an ActiveRain Free account because there is a wealth of information on a wide variety of topics. ActiveRain introduced me to the future of Real Estate and I met some industry leaders. I started learning about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Blogging, Vlogging, Facebook, Twitter and Internet Marketing. I jumped in head over heals and really kicked it up a notch. I was really excited about it and was sharing my results with my fellow agents who much to my surprise were disgusted with it. I even opened a Facebook Business page for the Company and made the office manager the Admin. The company owners had a closed door meeting and instructed me to take it down. I was dumb founded! I showed them the results from Industry Leaders and they just dismissed it as a place that people wast time playing Farmville. They suggested that I need to be cold calling, door knocking, and dropping cookies! I started thinking about how these agents were marketing themselves. Ads in the local Newspaper. Ads on Shopping Carts and at the Car Wash. Open Houses. 75% of them were still using a roll-a-dex and a tickler file! The desk fees were draining me. There was no training. The Agents were taking bets on how long I would last and I was depressed. I new I’d made a big mistake so I started investigating what the future of Real Estate was and how to be successful. So I went back to the only place I’d found that was making sense to me...ActiveRain!

I dug in hard. Reading outstanding blogs and learning about Marketing and The Future of Real Estate. My favorite blogger was Brad Andersohn who taught FREE classes at ActiveRain’s was having a presentation by Dale Kreiser of eXp Realty on the future of Real Estate and I attended. It blew my mind! We were inside a virtual Real Estate Office! Not a webinar, but face to face with each other. At the time eXp Realty was in it’s infancy, less then 6 months old. Dale explained eXp Realty’s concept and it mirrored mine. A team of internet experts on SEO, Blogging, WordPress, Twitter, Facebook and 1/1 google ranking for Scottsdale and Phoenix. Something we real haven’t delved into to is eXp Realty concept of its business model for agents which is also totally out of the box and to me the main reason I decided to go with this company.

Dale explained the pay plan which is the best in the industry and then he explained there revenue sharing plan. It’s pretty simple. You sign people up and you get a percent of what they produce and the people they sign up produce.  I come from a business background, not a real estate back ground. I’ve helped start 4 business from scratch. I probably made more money by selling them then I did with them. All most all Real Estate agents focus on branding themselves and doing business. Very few look at it as developing a business plan that is salable and that can even survive your passing. In the eXp business model and with proper planning it can be done. Not that personal branding isn’t important but creating a Business Brand is equally important and a revenue stream.At eXp Realty we get a percentage of everyone you bring in to the company and a percentage of everyone they bring in, out to eight levels deep! . We have agents getting checks in the $3,500 a month range already and we’re only a year and half old! You can imagine the potential income that is possible from your down line. This income doesn’t go away as long as you are active with eXp Realty. So let’s say you set an exit strategy 10 years down the road and you have developed a pipeline of 500 people and you have created and nurtured a dominate internet presence that is not specific to you. Some like Live in Fountain Hills or what ever. This is a very salable business model! No telling what it might be worth but it would be quite a bit. It’s like having a built in retirement program.

I was really Sold but I was cringing at what this was going to cost me!
It was the same as just 2 months at my Major Company for the whole year!

What does it take to be a top producer in today’s Real Estate Market? Being on the first page of Google for a relevant search term is the most powerful thing you can do. You can get there 2 ways, Pay for it, or Work for it!

• Real Estate is and always has been a numbers game. You need to reach as many people as possible as often as you can.
• You do this by blogging, facebooking, twittering, youtubing,QR coding, just to name a few.
• Today’s Agent needs to reach an ever expanding internet market to serve his client.
• Traditional Bricks an Mortar Agencies continue to fail while tech savoy agencies flourish.
• Agents that are relying on local newspapers, shopping carts, cold calling and open houses are virtually extinct.
• Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and others are free. Print and pay for click are expensive.
• Face on Face Real Estate happens after the Virtual begins. You have to be real.
• A business plan, Goals and an exit strategy for retirement.

For more information on this new and exciting Real Estate Company visit eXp Realty Explained.
You’ll find a revenue calculator and a better explanation of the services it offers.

For more information about Mark Gridley, Fountain Hills, AZ eXp Realty

For information about Fountain Hills Real Estate Information and Listings

Feel free to contact me Becoming an Arizona Realtor Arizona Real Estate Explained.