Office meeting notes 12/30/08

The office staff will be leaving on Wed. at 3 PM and off Thurs. & Friday so if you need something processed you need to get it in by 1PM on Wednesday. The Corporate & Training Dept. have now moved to the Northeast Office at 9285 Governor’s Way. Linda is starting her meetings with all agents for business planning on Jan. 5. She has a sign up list just outside her office on side of the mailbox. Please get your business plan for 2009 together and sign up to meet with her. Remember the Boy Scout motto “Be prepared” What are some normal questions you try to get answered before you go on your appointment. How easy to that to obtain- easy- just ask. There are only as many days in a year as you make it. Our office received a check from the Foundation for $500.00 to be given to the Susan B. Coleman Breast Center. The next Fast Start class starts on Monday at the Northeast Office. If there is something you want to brush up on you are welcome to attend any of the classes. Linda gave some suggestions of things you might use as reasons to call your “A” list. She sent out some health tips last week you might use or you might want to use energy tips. You can go on the internet and pull off a list of unusual holidays. HUD statements will be in your mailbox sometime next week. They are another thing to use to touch your clients. Just find some reason to keep in touch. Mark your calendar for “Passport to Success” on Jan. 14 at Receptions in Eastgate. The meeting will be “Ready to Shine in 2009 & coping with life’s thorniest problems”. Lunch will be served. This is always the best program to get you jump started in the New Year. Holly Schwein will represent our office again this year at the Agent Advisory Committee. Mike is having another class on the electronic listing presentation on Jan 13 at 10:30 here in the office. Doc is also going to have a class next week (date to be announced) on entering contacts in Virtual Office.

Conference room table - going - going - gone!

Sharon's church will be the proud owners of the conference room table.

Office furniture for a good cause

I am looking for a church or non-profit that would like our large conference room table and chairs. We are getting furniture from the corporate office for that room on Monday next week.

Please let me know if you know someone that could use it for a good cause. They will need to pick it up Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Call Linda.

Spring 2009 Passport to Success

I encourage all of you to mark your calendars for January 14th, 2009. That is our next Passport to Success and we’re hoping to see all of you there for a great day of education and plenty of motivation to kick of your year.

This time we’ll be meeting at the Receptions at Eastgate from 9:30 – 1:30pm. Once again, we’ll provide you with lunch so plan on joining us for the fun.


On the agenda:

ÿ WCBWS Today – A “morning show” update on news and notes from the company and industry
ÿ Cactus Rolling ~ Dealing with Life’s Thorniest Problems – a keynote presentation from Dr. Stephen Douglas that you will not want to miss
ÿ Breakout sessions delivered by two dynamic presenters from Anne Marie Schafer (Director of Education with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Chicago) and Chris Prescott (Director of Education with Coldwell Banker Burnet Minneapolis)
ÿ And “All Star Ideas” – A discussion with Anne Marie and Chris facilitated by Sean Carpenter to learn what the successful agents in our sister companies are doing to achieve their goals in 2009.

No office meeting 12/23

There will not be a meeting this week -- I'm sure everyone has last minute details to complete. Everyone have a blessed Christmas.


Linda Wilson, Branch Manager
Coldwell Banker West Shell

HUD Home Bids number & procedures

Graciously provided by Miss Regina:

Some of you have been inquiring about our HUD number.

Our HUD ID number is CLDWEL2690

Tax ID number is 95-3522685

HUD keys. There is a padlock key and a regular key.

The office has a set, but it is suggested you have a copy made for your personal use in case the office keys are in use.

It is suggested that you go to the web-site below and become familiar with the forms and process before making an offer. http://www.nhmsi.com/

NHMSI is the current contractor for managing HUD Homes. There information is more up to date than MLS.

If offers are not submitted probably they could be rejected and furthermore could have negative implications for our company overall.

In summary, the process can be cumbersome if you have not reviewed the information in advance or received formal training on the topic. Mike and I attended a 6 hour training on the subject and found it to be very helpful and worthwhile. I would think that future training will be offered and you might find it beneficial.

Thank you and good luck!

Regina G. Livers, ABR

Office meeting notes 12/09/08

Congratulation to Holly Schwein for her excellent Service Satisfaction Survey.

Coldwell Banker Foundation is donating $2500. in seed money to the Wyoming School District. Linda will be working with the superintendant to grow this money.

Don't forget Linda is having a 3 hr. C.E. class on "Business Planning" on Wed. Dec. 10 at 10AM here in the office.

Don't forget our office Christmas Party is this Saturday at 6PM at Steven & Karen Leeker's home in Evendale. Bring your spouse or a friend. Bring a $15. wrapped gift for each of you and have fun participating in the gift exchange. It can get pretty wild at times. Also bring a dessert or snack for everyone to enjoy.

Linda will be out of town next week Mon. thru Wed. Norm White will be handling the meeting on Tuesday for Linda. There will be no sales meeting on Dec. 23.

Linda went over the new marketing proposal that Sean presented to some of the agents last week. It is available for you on a CD. Linda also purchased a wireless presentation mouse at Office Depot for $60. which makes the presentation even better. She copied the presentation with the dialogue and put in a binder, she highlighted the things that needed to be stressed. You need to learn the dialogue so it flows when you present the presentation. Some of the things the presentation covers are 5 things the seller expects is getting the best price for their home in the shortest amount of time, convenience, communication and a diligent effort on your part. You job is to market the home and provide feedback. Top 3 information sources used by buyers are the internet. 87% of buyers now use the internet to look for a home, 62% come from yard signs and there are 5409 licensed real estate agents in Cincinnati that decide who sees your home. MLS auto prospecting sends buyers to new listings and the reverse prospecting tool can find buyers looking for a home like your sellers. Technology is important in today's real estate market. In 1995 only 9% used internet to buy and in 2007 80.2%. Once a listing is entered into MLS all of Coldwell Banker listings now go to 13 different web sites. That's more than any other realtor. From MLS it goes to CBWS.com and then to Cincinnati.com, coldwellbankerpreviews.com, coldwellbanker.com, century21.com, era.com, openhouse.com, Google which gets 2 million hits per month, Yahoo, Trulia which gets over 2 million visitors, frontdoor and Zillow. Coldwell Banker also has a special relationship with the Cincinnati Zoo, Prokids, Susan G. Komen and Habitat for Humanity to name only a few. These are only a few things that the presentation covers.

Mike also went thru using "snag it". It is a great program to "snag" things and put in your presentations, flyers etc.

ODRE announces on-line license renewal down time

The Ohio Division of Real Estate announced that their system for processing on-line license renewals will be down from 6 p.m. Friday, December 12th through Sunday December 14th.  
If you have a license that needs to be renewed during that time and you are planning to do it on-line, please be sure to complete the process before their system is down.
If you have any questions, you should contact the Ohio Division of Real Estate directly at 614-466-4100

Electronic Listing Presentation Overview Scheduled

After Joe King's town hall meeting at the office Friday from 10am to 12 noon there will be an overview presentation of the new laptop based listing presentation. You don't need anything to attend, except an open mind and desire to get ahead.

WYOMING CHRISTMAS PARTY

Steven and Karen Leeker are hosting our annual Wyoming Holiday Party this year.

370 Monet's lane, Cin. Oh 45241 Cell: 307-5109, home: 554-4550

Located between Reading Rd and Plainfield Rd.in the Park Hills subdivision.

When you enter Park Hills, you will be on Giverny, at the stop sign, go left, this is Monet's Lane. We are a the corner of Monet's Lane and Giverny. Our home is the first driveway on your left. Parking: Street--in front of our home facing Giverny, further up Monet's on the same side as our home--facing Giverny, our driveway, and on the grass separating our driveway from our neighbors'.

Please make sure you bring a wrapped gift for you and your guest (max $15 each) for our exchange. And please bring your special holiday dessert or appetizer. We will serve a special non-alcoholic holiday punch so BYOB.

Official word from Rick Walker on adding photos 16-25

Should not add 16-25 to realtor.com, they can be added to cbws.com and they will feed to realtor.com however, it should be noted that the automatic update from MLS may not function as expected on that particular listing.Rick

Translated; If you use pictures 16-25, only add to CBWS and you may break the auto-update on that listing. It sounds like you should have a good reason to use the 16-25 pictures, as bad things can happen.

Mike Kieffer

Office meeting notes from 12/2/08

Mary with Pro Kids has here to talk about the “Perfect Gift”. Approx. 1100 children languish in Hamilton County’s foster card system. With the help and support of the community, this year ProKids will provide CASA volunteers for over 400 Children. They are $15.00 each and can be ordered from Paula Coyle at SSC.
We had a long discussion on the 10 reasons to list during the holiday season. First of all you may receive more money for your home now because you have less competition. Your home shows better during the holidays. One of the highest percentages of “Listings Sold to “Listings Taken” occurs during this time of year. Winter prospects are more serious buyers. Throughout the holiday season you may restrict showings during your personal family events. Buyers have more time to look at homes during the holidays especially during vacations. January is traditionally the biggest transfer month because plants close and Corporate transferees who need to buy a home now can’t wait until spring. By selling now, you may have a delayed closing or extended occupancy until the beginning of the following year. When you sell during the winter, you have an opportunity to buy during the spring when many more homes are on the market. You may have fewer showings but more qualified and motivated prospects.
Check out our office blog at cbwswy.blogspot.com. Mike has posted all the latest office information.
Check out the e-mail from Joe King yesterday. He sent an “Automated Web Listing Distribution” chart showing how all 13 of the websites we have are downloaded.
Congratulations to Yvette, Bill, Emily, Norm and Dawn for their excellent Service Satisfaction Surveys.Don’t forget to mark you calendars for Dec. 12 for our office Christmas Party and Steve & Karen Leeker’s home in Evendale.

Claire Mink

FEES, FEES & MORE FEES (BOARD DUES)

Due Date: January 5, 2009

It’s easy…pay online at http://www.cabr.org/ or the personalized web address provided on your dues postcard. Click the RED Member Logon box. All REALTORS who are MLS members will use their MLS ID and Password to pay online at http://www.cabr.org/.

Your Dues Amount: 225.00 Invoice Date: 11/30/08

Please pay promptly – Due Date: January 5, 2009. A $20 late fee will be assessed if payment is received after the due date. Additional late fees will be assessed if dues are not received by suspension. Non-payment will be reported to your Broker for delinquency follow-up.

Revised Info on Electronic Listing Presentation

Fast breaking update......

Per Sean Carpenter,

The Tuesday, 12/2 class on electronic listing presentation does not require the purchase of "Snag-it" to attend. You must, however, have a laptop & Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 or 2007, to attend.

The "Snag-it" is a screen capture program to "customize" the listing presentation to personalize it. Sean says that "Snag-it" is the easiest way to personalize the presentation, but other methods may also work.

Mike Kieffer

Office Meeting minutes 11/25/08

There will be a sales meeting next week and immediately following if you have a lap top then you will want to go to Sean Carpenter’s “Electronic Listing Presentation workshop” here at our office (on Tuesday Dec. 2) from 10AM to 12:30PM. Attendees are required to bring their own lap top computers. They should have Microsoft Power Point in order to access and use the presentation. Joe King will also here for a meeting on Friday Dec. 5 at 10AM to answer any questions you might have and to talk about market expectations. Steve Leeker has volunteered to have our office Christmas party at his home in Evendale on December 13 from 6 to 11PM. Direction to his home will follow. Linda is also having a 3 hr CE class here at our office on Dec. 10 from 10-1. Also mark you calendar for Monday Dec. 1. for our office decorating party. We discussed what we are thankful for. Things like family, friends, faith, health, job, making it thru another year, customers, etc. Have a great Thanksgiving Day.

Claire Mink

Realtor Tool Box BLOG by Sean Carpenter

http://www.therealtorstoolbox.blogspot.com/

The link above is to a new BLOG from Sean Carpenter to help associates with new "Technology" tools to improve your business.

Sean is having workshops Wednesday, December 10th at the Montgomery office 9:30-11:00am or 2:00 to 4:00pm. Call Susan Trefilek 686-7643.

MKieffer

Winter Passport session date announced

The winter passport to success will be held 1/14/09 at the "Receptions" center Eastgate. More details to follow...

MKieffer

Only update your photos in MLS

As of today, do not make any changes to your listing photos in any of the other websites. They will automatically propagate from changes made in MLS. After initial upload or a change to a photo in MLS, the new or changed photo will upload to CBWS.com in the first 24 hour period. The changes will upload to Coldwell Banker.com on the second 24 hour cycle (or 48 hours from the MLS change).

MKieffer

Beware of scams!

With the holidays approaching, scams increase. Scam artists assume shoppers are flush with cash and are not always as alert during the holiday season. Pick pockets increase at the holidays at busy (crowded) stores and malls.

1. Lock you car at malls, take a blanket to cover gifts in the back seat.
2. If you get cash in a "bank envelope", be careful, pick pockets look for these envelopes in pockets and purses.
3. Don't leave purse or personal items unattended when out.
4. Don't play the "change game" with a person you meet. They go back and forth making change and you end up short.
5. Watch out for Internet scams, they increase during the holidays. No Nigerian prince is going to send you a check. No bank is ever going to ask for personal information via email. Never give out personal information to an unsolicited email.
6. Watch out for "stranded travelers" that need $20 for gas, because they lost their wallet and will send you a check when they get home. I personally got nicked on this one at an "Applebee's".
7. Keep an eye on your credit card when you give it to a clerk. They can run it multiple times and keep the cash or they can run it throug a portable reader and sell your credit card number to a "scam factory".
8. Be very carefull of "door to door" sales during the holidays. Many times these are designed to collect your credit card number.
9. Verify and email or phone solicititations for donations are legimate.
10. Becareful with your laptop during the holidays, they make good gifts. Locking cables can be purchased at Microcenter for $20. If you leave in in you car, hide it underneath something, so it's not is plain sight.
11. Stop and think, if a deal is too good to be true, it is! A sure sign of a scam is the element of haste. If you "must make a decision right now", 99% sure it is a scam.

Scam artists do this for a living and they make their appearance and story believable. They will heartlessly play on your symathy and season spirit. Your only defence is not to play.

Mike Kieffer

New Laptop Listing Presentation 12/2

Sean Carpenter will be here on December 2nd. After our sales meeting Sean will present his NEW and FABULOUS electronic listing presentation. This presentation is only useful if you have a laptop. So, if you have a laptop, bring it and join us. ONLY LAPTOP agents, please.

Joe King Visit

Joe King is scheduling informal meetings in ALL offices in Cinti and Columbus to discuss market conditions, economic outlook for 2009, etc.
He is scheduled to be here December 5th at 10:00 am. Please try to make this very important meeting. Light refreshments will be provided

Calendar Bulk Mailings

You must have your mailing complete and ready to go to the office by 12/1/08.

If you are unsure of the placement requirements for the address or return label , please see:

http://www.uabprinting.com/pdf%20files%20for%20web/bulk%20mail%20information.pdf

When turning in the mailing, box up and put on the rear counter by the postage meter. Put your name and the count on the box.

Make sure to remove the magnet insert (if you ordered that style) before putting on your business card. If you forget, it will be over weight and not go bulk.

Remember, the mailing quality reflects on you and our office!

As with all mailings, Linda must approve the type and quantity of the mailing to your business plan before ordering.

Holiday Hours

Monday-Friday: 9-6
Saturday and Sunday: 9-4

If you still have problems, please give me a call. It is very important that we do not have offices that are closed when they have been advertised open.

Thank you,

Joe King

President and COO
Coldwell Banker King Thompson

Holiday Party Dates!

Please save the following dates:


Monday, December 1 4:00 pm decorate lobby, outside and lower level room
(refreshments to kick off holiday season!)


Saturday, December 13 6:00 pm Office Holiday Party (spouses and partners)
Gift exchange + bring dish for sharing
At the office

Invitation will follow

Wyoming office in top 20% of all NRT offices

We continue to be in the top 20% – thanks to ALL the committed agents who work in this office! You are truly remarkable real estate professionals! Outperforming the market is the name of the game!