Double Coverage in Kiplinger's

The March 2007 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance is on the shelves, and features a story about how home sellers can get an edge in today’s market. It has a sidebar featuring five “top sites” for buyers and sellers, two of which are HomePages.com and HouseValues.com.

Straight from the magazine:

If you want to pare down the list of neighborhoods in which you'd like to settle, HomePages.com can help you with much of the legwork. The site provides statistics on the community's median age and income, population and education, as well as information on local schools and businesses. It also shows houses that have recently sold and provides an aerial view of homes for sale.

HouseValues.com can give you an estimate of what your house is worth - a good starting point if you're looking to put your home on the market. Unlike sites that rely on public records, which are often outdated or simply inaccurate, HouseValues.com forwards your information to a real estate professional who knows your market. An emailed report estimates the value of your home and provides historical sales data for comparable homes in your area.

Never Judge A Book By It's Cover

Greg Straehl, a Newport, Virginia JustListed subscriber received a lead in November named “Nobody Nobody”. The email address appeared undeliverable but it did have a phone number listed. Greg called the number and reached a Pizza joint. Most agents at this point would have returned the lead but Greg went to the Pizza joint and introduced himself and drop off his personal information.

When Greg dropped by the Pizza joint for the second time “Nobody Nobody” gave Greg his real name and as it turns out he is looking for a home and has been pre approved for a loan with Greg’s lender. In additional another employee at the Pizza joint is going through a divorce and is in need of a new place to live. This one “bogus/bad” lead is going to turn into two transactions!

Active HouseValues Promoter

Joseph Baylis a HouseValues subscriber out of East Windsor NJ is an ACTIVE REFFERING PROMOTER due to the outstanding service he receives from HouseValues.

“I want to thank you very much for your superior customer service. You are positively one of the most professional people I have ever dealt with in business. If you have a supervisor I could contact, please let me know. HouseValues is extremely fortunate to have you as a representative. Thanks again for all you do. I will continue to recommend house values to everyone I know. Regards, Joe Baylis”

Slow Market (if your not a HouseValues Subscriber)

Madeline Zook from Sparks, NV just closed 3 HouseValues transactions last month during a time when she says the market was unbelievably slow. She is absolutely thrilled with the program. “Finding HouseValues has been the best thing ever for my real estate career.”

Madeline considers HouseValues the “CORE” of her business which has allowed her to open her own brokerage which is a dream come true. She says the Market Leader software is phenomenal and allows her to get a lot of repeat business from clients who she would otherwise easily lose touch with.

What an outstanding example outlining the importance of filling your pipeline when the throughout the cyclical market trends!

Closed Over 6 Million In Sales

“The point I am making is that the system does work. I have worked the leads from HouseValues & JustListed but I took the funnel part of my mission to a new level. HouseValues & JustListed is a total package that like farming, bring the harvest in.

I do all this because I also have a fear that the market will slow down one day. I realize that if this happens someone in my market will be making it work, why can't it be me?
I know agents in your market that are making it. They send me referrals all the time. Why is that? Don't give up! Make it fit your business. You have a great support system with everyone that is a HouseValues & JustListed member not just the coaching staff. I've been told that your city and mine have some similarities. As a former Californian you’re more than welcome to give me a call or send me an email to bounce ideas.

I have been with HouseValues & JustListed for two years and closed over 6 million in sales. Hope you'll stay to enjoy the ride.”


-Tony Martinez

4 Deals during Typically Slower Time of Year

In a recent conversation with real estate agent Mark Jiorle out of Metuchen, NJ, he shared with us what a great month in business December was for him. He attributes four closed transactions total as a result of his relationship with HouseValues sellers and JustListed buyers.


For some, business may be slow during this time of year, but this has definitely not been the case for Mark!

Once Skeptical About Buying Leads, Now a True Believer

An inspiring turnaround story here from 30 year real estate agent Aleta Galusha out of Holmdel, NJ about how the HouseValues system has taken her business to new levels. She shares how HouseValues' employees Joyce Juntunen and Bruce Downs, to name a few, have made it possible to be as successful as she is today.

“I joined HouseValues.com approximately 3 1/2 years ago with a bit of skepticism as I had been a Realtor ® for 30 years and thought 'buying' leads was not really necessary, but Joyce Juntunen quoted all of the NAR statistics (which were correct AND known to me) and convinced me to try it for a year.

I was rather unimpressed during that first year or two but attended HouseValues Seminars whenever you came to the NJ area. Bruce Downs gave most of those seminars and I left with at least one new idea each time.

When I implemented some of those ideas like hand delivery of the Pre-Listing Packets with the CMA in the packet, it started heating up. I got my first HV listing a year and a half ago. Then another a few months ago. Then I invested in a new subscription since my first subscription was covered back to day one and forward into the next year. Then I got an email from a prospect that I first connected with 1/4/2004! I am listing her home on 1/27/2007! Talk about drip campaigns paying off! At one of the more recent seminars that I attended, Bruce told us to automatically update CMAs which I did. She thanked me for keeping in touch with her and said it was time for her to make her move. Could it have been that updated CMA?

One thing I failed to mention is that through my first HouseValues.com listing, I was introduced to the parents of that first seller. I did a presentation to them on the marketing of their incredible mansion in one of our most prestigious areas. I didn't secure the listing the first time around, but they called me in early October to list their home in December. Details on this home are to follow on a future report.

The Webinars, Mastermind calls and seminars have all contributed to my having become a believer. I'm glad I listened to Joyce Juntunen and gave this system a chance. After all, her real estate experience is vast for such a young woman... why, she began as a 4 year old attending office sales meetings and weekly caravans. She's my first daughter.”

Sincerely yours,

Aleta Galusha
CRS, Broker-Salesperson, E-Pro, Certified E-Marketing Specialist, Member of the Council of Residential Specialists, NJAR Circle of Excellence

HouseValues Relative The Next American Idol?

American Idol kicked off its sixth series with an estimated 37.3 million viewers Tuesday night.

Some of you may have watched as they auditioned talented singers out of Seattle, WA. Jordan Sparks, daughter of successful HouseValues subscriber Jodi Sparks was one of the few promising singers who made it through the rigorous tryouts.

Congratulations Jordan! The HouseValues family wishes you the best and we will be cheering you on your upcoming American Idol journey!

Brand New Agent, Good Head Start

Starting out as a brand new real estate agent, Amy Strong out of Flower Mound, TX was looking for a way to build relationships with prospective home buyers early on and build her pipeline. She joined JustListed three months ago and is already double ending a deal for a JustListed prospect that will be worth half a million dollars. She is also working with two other prospects that she expects to close by the end of March.

Amy follows up quickly on all leads and credits much of her success to the advice her JustListed coach gives her on how to effectively work Internet buyer leads.

Building Business from the Start Gets Results

In the last couple of months, Carol Copelin out of Springfield, IL has closed 8-9 deals with the majority of her business coming from HouseValues. She just closed a $352,000 home and a $130,000 condo from HouseValues leads.

Carol attributes her success to being diligent about following up with all leads. She always drops off packets and if no one is home, she will leave it and then call to make sure they received the information. She spends about two hours a day making follow-up calls to everyone, even if the prospect is not looking to sell right away. This approach allows her to establish a relationship with the prospect early on in the home selling process.

2 Double-Ended Deals from 1 Lead in 5 Months

Carlos Gautier out of the Washington D.C. area started working with JustListed buyer leads last August and by the end of the year had already closed five transactions. Four of these deals resulted from one JustListed lead. He double-ended the transaction and consequently the buyer referred him to a relative in which he will see another double transaction.

He has a great pipeline of leads in which he manages and nurtures in Market Leader, which allows him to follow up and maintain contact with his contacts on a regular basis.

He credits much of his success to his JustListed coach who gives him advice on how to most effectively work with the Internet buyers leads he receives.

Internet leads are like microwave popcorn and Market Leader is the microwave

"If you were to open this bag and look at the kernels, can you tell me which ones are going to pop and which ones are the duds or old maids? No, just like internet leads, you can not tell which ones will pop into a transaction and which ones will not. It is important to treat all leads the same.

Once you turn on your microwave do your kernels pop right away? No, the microwave warms them up then slowly one pops, then slowly another one, then more start popping. Not all of the kernels pop but you enjoy the ones that do.

The same applies with internet leads; they do not pop into transactions right away. Market Leader warms them up and after a while one turns into a transaction then another and then another etc.

Enjoy the ones that POP!"

-Brenda Hakimi
HousesValues Agent Coach

Personalized Service Yields Results

“I love the drip e-mail, but really how many of us are bombarded with spam e-mail. I know I am. I follow up each and every lead from JustListed or HouseValues with a hard copy of their CMA, a card and a pen. Now they won’t forget me. They open the mail because they feel something in the envelope and now they have my card and my information on a pen. It costs 54 cents to mail but so far it’s worked. I currently only have 5 listings. Each one was from a HouseValues lead. Tweak the system if it isn’t working.

Good luck out there. Hope this helps. Have a great day.”

Lucky Lead

Ginger Alberry out Moreno Valley, CA signed up to receive JustListed buyer leads at the beginning of the month with the mindset that Internet leads take time to transact. Much to her surprise, the very first lead that came to her through her JustListed pipeline is serious about purchasing a home right away.

She is actively showing homes to the prospect in the $350,000 price range and expects a transaction to happen very soon.

Smile & Say Cheese!

HouseValues employees take a moment to smile for the
camera in celebration of the Yakima office's 1st year
anniversary.

Yakima HouseValues Office Celebrates 1st Year Anniversary

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the HouseValues Yakima office opening. Congratulations are in order to the following group of talented individuals for all their hard work and dedication to our customers:

Liberty Andis
Sharon Baxter
Lorin Clark
Heather Henretig
Justin Huston
Tammy Ryan
Starla Scholl
Derek Townsend
Jennifer Townsend

In honor of this exciting day, two HouseValues employees took a moment to reflect on their first year:

“Thank you all for making today so special and the past year so enjoyable,” said HouseValues employee Elizabeth Devlin.

Fellow co-worker, Justin Huston added, “It’s symbolic how we all started in the training room one year ago and we meet today in the same place coming full circle. Good times.”

MasterMind Call Tips Lead To Transactions

“We have been with HouseValues for less than a year and have been using many of the tips we received on MasterMind calls.

We only use HouseValues and have closed 2 houses and are working with several other prospects. We have a follow up system in place that makes it very beneficial for us. Some people aren't ready to do anything yet and that's fine. We will need listings a few months from now and feel had it not been for HouseValues we wouldn't have had the opportunity to work with them.

There has been no lack of leads and it's our responsibility to convince them we are the agents they need!

Pamela Rea”

11 Transactions From HouseValues

“I have been with the system for 2 years.

In that time, I have had 5 HouseValues transactions and 6 from JustListed.

I am currently working with 3 new JustListed clients who are also listing their homes with me.

The system does work.

Cassandra Smith”

900% ROI From JustListed

“I have been with JustListed since mid 2004.

- 2004 broke even
- 2005 $18,000 in commissions. (300+% return)
- 2006 $54,000 in commissions. (900+% return)

I am sure there are things I could have done better. I have gotten a lot of tips from reading the forum.

Steve Davis”

The Carnival comes to HouseValues

Happy New Year!

After a two-week break, the Carnival of Real Estate is back! And although many of us enjoyed time with family and friends over the holiday break, the blogging continued.

The Carnival received dozens of submissions over the past two weeks, and here are some of the best:

Posts summarizing 2006, and predicting 2007, took center-stage. Joshua Dorkin discusses The 14 Coolest Real Estate Stories of 2006. Michael Simonsen from Altos Research says that 2006 represented an online real estate renaissance. Zillow's Spencer Rascoff does a great job summarizing some of the biggest stories in 2006 as well.

As for 2007? Renthusiast discusses several predictions for 2007 at Renthusiast. Joshua Dorkin discusses goal-setting for 2007 at Real Estate Investing For Real A BiggerPockets Blog.

Do those 2007 goals already intimidate you? Matt Heinz reminds us that Big Goals BeginWith Baby Steps at the Matt on Marketing blog.

Ola Edvardsson discusses how to achieve real estate marketing success this year. And Michael Price gives fantastic advice on how to be a Famous Agent in 2007.

Are you doing too much blogging, and not enough selling? Jim Cronin discusses why your broker might hate your blogging on Real Estate Tomato.

Cliff Jacobson wonders what the role of real estate agents will be in a Web 2.0 world in his WebHomeUSA blog.

Don't miss Pat Kitano's outstanding two part series on Radical Transparency.

Douglas Heddings talks about what it means when sellers remain high-demand clients in a buyer's market at True Gotham.

David Recker discusses why some home seekers still just don't get it.

Broker Bryant riffs about compensation vs. performance on ActiveRain.

Kris Berg does a great job comparing dogs to real estate agents (in a good way) on the fantastic Bloodhound Blog.

Nina at QueerCents says that small homes are about to become cool again.

And Dan Green talks about Why New Home Sales Doesn't Tell The Story posted at The Mortgage Reports Blog.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of real estate using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

Market Leader Success

“Hello all. February 2007 will be my one year anniversary with HouseValues. At first it was a little bit frustrating, but I now have 2 people under contract for new construction and a quite of few more people who are looking at homes with me. These all came through as leads from HouseValues. This does not include clients that I place in the system on a regular basis. I have heard nothing but good things from clients once they start to receive listings and drip campaigns via email. If anyone has an issue making the monthly investments to HouseValues, I would recommend keeping Market Leader. It has been a great asset managing clients. Have a great and happy New Year.”

Ray Miller"

One Listing = 16 Condo Units!

Starlena Meeks shares her amazing success story on the HouseValues MasterMind forum:

“I started with HouseValues JustListed in September 2006. I have received a whole bunch of duds but I also I have received a very handsome listing from JustListed. Naturally it was a surprise to me because I was expecting buyers only. The listing I received was for a 16 unit apartment building that is being converted to a condo conversion. I am selling each unit separately. The seller and my team have developed a fantastic relationship. As a result I will be receiving two more listings of two projects through this seller that is a total of 500 condo units. It's TRUE! Stay patient, and enjoy the support. Keep an above average attitude, smile all the time, positive energy will come right back to you. Say and expect it then enjoy it. Happy New Year God bless you all.”

Skeptic Turned Believer

Olga Slovak had a great post on the HouseValues MasterMind fourm today about how she has turned from a skeptic to believer:

"I joined JustListed and HouseValues just a little over 3 months ago. Skeptical at first, frustrated with copy-like JustListed e-mail requests…. I got bold with my e-mail to all of "prospective" buyers ("Is there any living body behind this e-mail address?"). Just after my 30 days of membership.

I got only one answer back, and he's my first real sale completing at the end of January 2007.
MY $6500 Canadian is far more than my cost and gave me a light of hope. The system is workable and could work if people would be more serious sending those e-mails, Buyers or Sellers alike but unfortunately it's out of our control.

I'm here to stay and work my leads-after all- referrals or other sources -they all need time and patience."

Fast Response Time Wins Agent Listing

We are excited to share the early success of one of our customers, Tom Rumble out of Grandville, MI. In less than two months as a HouseValues subscriber, Tom already has his first listing!

The trend continues and agents everywhere are hearing that success begins with fast response time on Internet seller leads. Tom follows up with all leads right away to make sure not to let any business slip away.

Incorporate Best Practices to Win More Business

When it comes to working with Internet seller leads, Joseph Dorr out of Ocala, FL incorporates the following best practices into his business to be successful:

1) Quick response time on all leads
2) Willingness to work with prospective home sellers as needed
3) Exceptional customer service

We are happy to report that his strategy is paying off, especially with the HouseValues leads he receives. He signed up with HouseValues a little over five months ago and has already converted one lead into two transactions. Even better, he expects getting a third transaction as a result of the original lead.

Way to go Joseph!

New Years Resolution

Katie Johnson shares her 2007 New Years resolution on with other subscribers on the HouseValues MasterMind forum:

“The HouseValues system really does work. As part of business planning, I was going through my past sales and looking at the numbers.

For 2006, I didn't work the system, and got ZERO payback. Yet, in 2005, I was much more aggressive, attended the seminars, masterminds, etc., and made $25,000 in commission from 4 leads! I guess I'll be concentrating on HouseValues and JustListed subscriptions for 2007.

Best Wishes to All”