ProRealTour Update

We are happy to inform you that the program has been upgraded to allow agents to capture the contact information of the inquiring client. In order to implement this feature, it is necessary for you to follow a few simple procedures. This includes accessing the Control Panel and activating the text or e-mail option for your listings. There are also new sign riders designed for the texting option. You will need to replace your existing riders with the new riders. Contact Tonyia Cormican for replacements. You will keep your existing Tour Number, only the sign rider will change. The instructions for activating the text messaging has been emailed to each of you. If you need the directions again, please contact Tonyia Cormican. The radio spots airing have been changed to reflect the texting option. A revised flyer is available in Virtual Office in Forms Online.

Local Company Stats - YTD

Below are the Local Company Stats that was discussed at the Sales Rally. If you would like a printed copy of the stats, please email Michelle Barnett.

(Click on each image for larger view)

MLS Stats - June 2009

Active Listings:
(June 2008: 16,359) (June 2009: 14,077) Down 14%

Listings Taken:
(June 2008: 4,142) (June 2009: 3,678) Down 11%

Solds:
(June 2008: 3,386) (June 2009: 3,618) Up 6%

Expireds:
(June 2008: 1,157) (June 2009: 1,087) Down 6%

Pendings:
(June 2008: 2,927) (June 2009: 3,361) Up 15%

MLS Stats - May 2009

Active Listings:
(May 2008: 15,954) (May 2009: 14,035) Down 12%

Listings Taken:
(May 2008: 4,371) (May 2009: 3,535) Down 19%

Solds:
(May 2008: 3,238) (May 2009: 3,044) Down 6%

Expireds:
(May 2008: 1,089) (May 2009: 843) Down 23%

Pendings:
(May 2008: 3,140) (May 2009: 3,430) Up 9%

July Birthdays & Anniversaries

MLS Stats - April

Active Listings:
(April 2008: 15,456) (April 2009: 13,771) Down 11%

Listings Taken:
(April 2008: 4,330) (April 2009: 3,642) Down 16%

Solds:
(April 2008: 2,890) (April 2009: 2,558) Down 11%

Expireds:
(April 2008: 1,200) (April 2009: 901) Down 25%

Pendings:
(April 2008: 3,078) (April 2009: 3,268) Up 6%

May Birthdays & Anniversaries

Direct Deposit For Commission Checks

Direct Deposit for Commission Checks is now available!
To setup your direct deposit, you must see Tonyia or JoAnn at the front desk and ask them for the Direct Deposit application form. Fill out the form completely & sign it. A voided check containing bank routing information for the account needs to be attached to the application. Attach a deposit ticket if you are directing the funds to a savings account. Once completed, return the form to Michelle Barnett. The application will be sent to corporate for processing. Please allow 10 business days for the application to be processed. Your commission checks will then be deposited directly into your checking or savings account on the morning you should have received the actual check. This is 3 business days after the closing is processed by the office staff. You will also receive a notification that your deposit has been made. You will receive a Non-Negotiable check stub confirming the processing of your payment.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How long from the time I submit my request will direct deposit go into effect?

It takes approximately 10 business days to process the request.

How am I notified that deposit has been made?

You will still receive a Non-Negotiable check stub confirming processing of the payment.

How fast are commission payments deposited to my account?
Payments will post to your account on the same day that a live check would be delivered to your office. This is 3 business days after the closing is processed by your office staff.

What if I change bank accounts?
You must submit another direct deposit application form.

Can I have my funds deposited to more than one account?

Only one account can be used to deposit the funds.

What if I decide to discontinue direct deposit?
You must notify us in writing. It takes approximately 10 business days to process the request.

March MLS Stats

Active Listings:
(March 2008: 15,095) (March 2009: 13,808) Down 9%

Listings Taken:
(March 2008: 3,647) (March 2009: 3,849) Up 1%

Solds:
(March 2008: 2,880) (March 2009: 2,560) Down 11%

Expireds:
(March 2008: 1,164) (March 2009: 1,020) Down 12%

Pendings:
(March 2008: 2,612) (March 2009: 2,568) Down 2%

April Birthdays & Anniversaries

New Agents

2008 CBWS Award Winners

Congratulations to the following Coldwell Banker West Shell 2008 Award Winners!!

MLS Stats - February 2009

Active Listings:
(February 2008: 15,020) (February 2009: 13,219) Down 12%

Listings Taken:
(February 2008: 3,530) (February 2009: 2,845) Down 19%

Solds:
(February 2008: 2,192) (February 2009: 2,052) Down 6%

Expireds:
(February 2008: 1,168) (February 2009: 947) Down 19%

Pendings:
(February 2008: 2,658) (February 2009: 2,386) Down 10%

March Birthdays & Anniversaries

Office Blog Poll

Please participate in the Office Blog Poll located on the right hand side of the page (underneath the office administrators). You may choose multiple answers.

Kentucky CBWS Offices Merge

It was announced on February 11th that Coldwell Banker West Shell is combining our Florence office and our Crestview Hills office into one powerful Northern Kentucky regional service center in our existing Crestview Hills office location. Peggy Thurza and Cheery Malone, both very skilled office managers, will serve as co-managers. This move is consistent with the company's overall strategy in today’s market of using every resource we have available to truly drive more business to our sales associates. We are anticipating that the move will be completed in the first two weeks of March. Should you have any questions about the merge, please see Steve Oyler or Sandy Stephens.

Message About The Stimulus Package From Steve Oyler

Stimulus Package

7As trusted advisors to your customers and clients, helping them make intelligent decisions has never been as important as it is now. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that Congress passed last has been confusing everyone as it traveled between Senate and House committees to eventual passage. The attached flyer is important to your current business because you may have pending transaction that will benefit from this bill. You may also use this flyer to send to a past client who closed on an eligible property since January 1, 2009, and more importantly, who in your sphere may have been on the fence about a purchase of a home?

In coming days you’ll have the opportunity to begin seeing and hearing our Qualified Answers TV and radio campaign as it rolls out and note that it is clearly directed to the first-time home buyer. The stimulus package also addresses the first-time home buyer as its main target to help jump-start the economy as noted in the attached flyer. A printable version of the flyer was sent via email from Randy Wax on February 17th or you can see Michelle Barnett for copies.

Broker's Commission Fee ~ 4%

Effective February 16, 2009, all listings taken by a Coldwell Banker West Shell agent at 7% will no longer be subject to a Broker's Commission Fee.
With the challenges in today's current real estate market the services that you, along with Coldwell Banker West Shell, provide to your clients have never been in greater demand. Because of that, now more than ever, you deserve to get paid what you are worth and we are going to help. Coldwell Banker West Shell is committed to helping all of you increase your income by raising your average listing commission for each one of your listings. As part of our agent development series, Sean Carpenter will be working with each one of our managers and sales associates to help assist them in providing the skills, tools and dialogue to improve their average listing commission rate. We will also be seeking out those agents who have tremendous skills and dialogues at capturing a full fee both within and outside of our organization and sharing their techniques with you.
The process for waiving the Broker’s Commission for those listings you secure at 7% is simple. All you will need to do is cross out the Broker Commission portion on the listing contract and have your clients initial and date the change.
Every situation provides an opportunity. As an organization working together to better improve our overall skills and services we, along with our clients, will ultimately benefit.

MLS Stats - January 2009

Active Listings:
(January 2008: 15,046) (January 2009: 13,083) Down 13%

Listings Taken:
(January 2008: 4,000) (January 2009: 2,986) Down 25%

Solds:
(January 2008: 2,044) (January 2009: 1,508) Down 26%

Expireds:
(January 2008: 1,422) (January 2009: 1,281) Down 10%

Pendings:
(January 2008: 2,210) (January 2009: 2,226) Up 1%

Linda Maurer's Character Awards

Once a month, Linda Maurer presents Character Awards to students at North Dearborn Elementary. It is for grades 1-4 and once a month the teacher will submit a name from each class (about 23 total) who have been nominated by either a student or the teacher for being a good citizen or exhibiting outstanding character for that month. Linda provides a pizza party and presents the students with their certificates, which they love! Usually when asked the students say they helped another student when they were sick or hurt or let them borrow some school supplies. The principal and teachers are also very much into it since they are always looking for ways to reward good citizenship. Sandy Stephens gave me this idea last year in a coaching session and it has been very rewarding.

Congratulations Linda for making a difference in a child's life!!

Agent 1099 Update

All agent 1099's were mailed out this past Saturday, January 31st. The 1099 help desk coverage is now available should you have any questions about your 1099's. Agents can reach the helpdesk at 1-800-473-8633. Also, please reminder that you can email the helpdesk at 1099.help@nrtinc.com.

Friday Workshops

At our 10am Friday Workshop we had Sandy Hirsch, so Sandy got an individual coaching session. At our 11am Friday Workshop we had Ray Penno, Ed Frede, and Sandy Davis. We talked about getting the plan for 27 touches for your bullseye and we also talked about taking the time to call your bullseye, every month. Because we had those that trooped through the weather, we gave them a prize for showing up this morning!

Changes to the Contract To Purchase - Ohio Only

The Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS® Board of Directors has approved a few changes to the CABR Contract to Purchase for use by REALTOR® members. Below is an explanation of the changes to the Contract to Purchase. The updated Contract to Purchase-Ohio is available under Contracts in Virtual Office>Agent Tools. The updated version is at the printers now and should be available in a couple of weeks. The changes made WERE NOT significant to the point that your current supply is outdated. PLEASE CONTINUE TO USE YOUR SUPPLY OF CONTRACT TO PURCHASE-OHIO UNTIL YOUR SUPPLY IS DEPLETED.

Changes in the Contract to Purchase:

Clause 3, Financing Contingency has been revised, to clarify that the settlement charges the seller is agreeing to pay are those allowed by the buyer’s lender – not the seller’s (in the event it is a short-sale, lender-owned, etc.).

Clause 7, Seller’s Certification the seller is no longer required to certify the municipality in which the real estate resides. This has been added as a buyer’s responsibility under Clause 15, Buyer’s Inspections.

Clause 8, Homeowner Association/Condominium Declarations, Bylaws and Articles has been expanded to include the Association’s schedule of monthly, annual and special assessments/fees.

Clause 17, Title Insurance has been amended to provide more flexibility in payment options for owner’s title insurance. Previously, if the buyer checked the box indicating that he chose to purchase owner’s title insurance, the seller was obligated to pay the entire cost of the premium. The clause has been changed to allow the parties to agree on an amount that the seller will pay up to, but not to exceed.

Clause 19, Conveyance and Closing “homeowner/condominium association fees” has been added to this clause

Saving Money in Challenging Times From Jim Stevenson

As you begin to execute your 2009 business and marketing plans, you might want to consider all of the no cost items that are at your disposal!

1. Use what you already have. A full-service broker, boards of realty and other associations offer great tools, networking and engagement opportunities and chances are you already paid for them.
2. Don't reinvent. "Off-the-shelf" products might not be 100% of what you want, but even if they are 90% of what you are looking for, it is worth the reduced expense to use them, and spend the time that you could have redesigning a piece or a tool on the phone with your clients.
3. Shrink to grow! The old practices of having to get to 3,000 people to be effective is over. The "find me, sell me era" is over, and the the "know me, help me" era is in full swing. So it is far better to know everything about 100 people than nothing about 1,000! Revisit the bull's eye on your target and make personal touches.
4. Warm touches can be the most cost-effective and the most impactful Hand written notes to your bull's eye are really affordable since the list will be smaller, and they are feel "special".
5. Community service is always the right thing to do, but now more than ever. Not only will you feel good about it, but the organizations provide learning, networking and promotional opportunities. Younger generations (a.k.a. first-time home buyers) want a sense of purpose and are engaged in the community.
6. Free space online! Take advantage of your full-service broker's profile pages and build profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn and Active Rain. But make sure to link them together. Even though this has been a best practice for over a year, it is amazing how many associates still are absent from social networking. Latest studies imply that over 35% of adults maintain at least one social networking site.
7. Blog. While it seems over done in a lot of places, real estate is still relatively slow to adopt this powerful and free way to communicate with niche markets and stay in touch with your audience. Blog about your business, your community, your charities, whatever. Just get engaged and again make sure you tie all of your social networking to your blog.
8. Multiple quality photos on every listing with really robust and interesting property descriptions! You may never sell a listing online, but you certainly can keep it from selling by how you present it online.
9. Video is easier than ever to integrate into your online presence and will soon become the standard. YouTube has allowed us to get past needing ultra-slick production, so grab a camcorder or digital video device, post it to a YouTube account (free!) and link the video to your blogs and social networks.
10. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate! There are other business that want to market to the same audience that you do. If you have common interests, team up to share in any expenses. You will meet new businesses and people, and create more warm touches for your bull's eye!