Austin Realtors selling Austin Condos, Homes and Real Estate For Living The Good Life » Future of Real Estate http://www.goodlifeteam.com Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:14:22 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Protected: Happy People Make More Money http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/building-your-business/happy-people-make-more-money/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/building-your-business/happy-people-make-more-money/#comments Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:53:21 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=6013 There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.]]>

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]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/building-your-business/a-productive-goodlife/feed/ 0 It’s a buyer’s market, so why aren’t we buying Austin real estate? http://www.goodlifeteam.com/buyers-market-why-are-you-not-buying http://www.goodlifeteam.com/buyers-market-why-are-you-not-buying#comments Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:54:14 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=5033 not buying homes during this time of historically low interest rates (I just refinanced at 4.25%!) in conjunction with some of the lowest Austin housing prices we've seen in years. So, why aren't people buying homes in Austin, TX?]]>

“Be Fearful when others are Greedy. Be Greedy when others are Fearful”

The above quote from Warren Buffet encapsulates how a financially-savvy person should approach the Austin housing market. But, that’s not what’s happening. Truth of the matter is, people are not buying homes during this time of historically low interest rates (I just refinanced at 4.25%!) in conjunction with some of the lowest Austin housing prices we’ve seen in years.

So, why aren’t people buying homes in Austin, TX?

At The GoodLife Team we are finding that there are 5 primary reasons why Austinites are not buying homes despite great buying conditions:

5. Little to no cash: We find that many Austinites think that they can’t buy a home without at least 5% cash to put down plus money for closing costs. Yes, lack of liquidity has made it more difficult, but, what most don’t know is that there are many local programs that help homebuyers with good credit to buy a home with little cash out-of-pocket. You can learn more about Austin downpayment assistance programs here:  http://www.goodlifeteam.com/real-estate/first-time-home-buyer-downpayment-assistance/

4. Too-Tight lending conditions: This is the most frustrating reason. Due to the financial meltdown the pendulum swung to a place of ridiculously tight lending conditions and underwriting standards. This has wiped out a large percentage of the “self-employed” home buying population. This is unfortunate for the self-employed homebuyer and for our community—more “qualified” homebuyers in the marketplace could only help our depressed economic conditions. A self-employed borrower that shows a 800 credit score (as good as it gets), revenue, savings, low debt and ability to put at least 20% down—will very likely be unable to buy a home. This, in my opinion, is a shame and a serious problem.

3. Insufficient Credit: What we find is that most of us do not understand how credit scores work and as a result innocently make choices that negatively impact our credit scores, eliminating our ability to qualify. To test your knowledge of how credit scores work, we have created a quiz. What we have found is that few of us, including those of us in the industry, score as high as we should. Take the quiz and tell us what you learned … then, get to work cleaning up your credit. And, hold your credit score close to your heart. It is more important than you think – not only for buying a home, but for many other considerations as well – how much you pay for insurance, auto loans, etc.

2. Don’t realize they can buy: Yes, we talk to many people who simply ‘think’ they can’t buy, but would if they thought they could. For those who are in this category “I would love to buy a home if I could, but think I can’t” – let’s chat. You might be surprised to learn that you in fact can buy a home and take advantage of this buyer’s market. Of course, there is no obligation, pressure or crazy sales talk – just a chat to explore possibilities.

1. And the number one reason why we notice people aren’t buying homes is …. Yes, you guessed it; FEAR. Too many people are sitting on the sidelines simply afraid to make a move. I wonder how many of us in this category are going to be seriously kicking ourselves a few years from now by not following Buffet’s timely advice of “Be greedy when others are Fearful”.

My reason for not buying? Number 4

What is your reason? 1-2-3-4-5?

P.S. If you answered number 5, Fear, and the words of Warren Buffett are not enough to get you off the fence…consider the words of John Paulson instead. “If you don’t own a home, buy one. If you own one home, buy another one. And if you own two homes, buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy one.” For those of you who don’t know, John Paulson made his fortune betting that the sub-prime mortgage mess would cause the real estate market to collapse. Check out this article by the KCM Crew for further evidence that now is the time to buy.

]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/buyers-market-why-are-you-not-buying/feed/ 18 The Real Estate Brokerage of the Future http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future-2/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future-2/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:43:43 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=4326

Innovation is part of our practice at the goodlife team, and this is how we are building the brokerage of the future.
]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future-2/feed/ 1 I, Real Estate Agent http://www.goodlifeteam.com/featured/i-real-estate-agent/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/featured/i-real-estate-agent/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:23:45 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=4927 I believe the story of “I, Pencil” is a perfect metaphor for what we are facing in the real estate agent and brokerage industry today. The story begins with the sentence “I am a lead pencil—the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write.” … “I am seemingly so simple. Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.”]]>

How many people does it take to make a lead pencil?

Recently I read a short story written by Leonard E. Read called “I, Pencil”. The story was written in first-person from the perspective of the pencil – her life story. The economic moral of the story is profound and is a lesson I think is important for all of us to learn. However, my writing today is not to bring forth an economic point of view that I agree with, but instead to share another principle of this story relevant to my readers. I believe the story of “I, Pencil” is a perfect metaphor for what we are facing in the real estate agent and brokerage industry today.

The story begins with the sentence “I am a lead pencil—the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write.” … “I am seemingly so simple. Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.” … “Pick me up and look me over. What do you see? Not much meets the eye—there’s some wood, lacquer, the printing label, graphite lead, a bit of metal, and an eraser.”

Not so simple.

The story goes into great length to bring forth the magnitude of complexity involved in making a lead pencil—you can read the story to get the full picture, but let me give you an inkling of what is missing from what we commonly think of as a simple pencil.

  • A cedar tree

  • Harvested logs sent to a mill

  • Mill machines cut logs into small, pencil length slats less than ¼ inch thickness

  • Pencil length cedar slats are kiln dried and tinted

  • Cedar slats shipped to pencil factory. Complex machinery gives each slat 8 grooves

  • More complex machines lay lead in every other slat, applies glue and places another slat on top

Simple enough, but where does the lead come from?

  • The “lead” is complex and contains no lead at all–the graphite is mined in Ceylon and shipped

  • Graphite is mixed with clay from Mississippi in which ammonium hydroxide is used in the refining process

  • Wetting agents are added such as sulfonated tallow

  • After passing through numerous machines the mixture is baked for several hours at 1850 degrees Fahrenheit

  • The “lead” is treated with a hot mixture which includes candelilla wax from Mexico, paraffin wax and hydrogenated natural fats

From a Cedar tree to a lead pencil

  • After the lead is added, the cedar receives 6 coats of lacquer

  • Then the labeling—a film formed by applying heat to carbon black mixed with resins

  • The bit of metal added is brass. Who mines the zinc?

Don’t forget the Eraser

  • And then, the eraser. An ingredient called ‘factice’ is what does the erasing. It is a rubber-like product made by reacting grape-seed oil from the Dutch Indies with sulfur chloride.

Relating a lead pencil to real estate?

After reading this story, it caused me to relate what goes into something as seemingly simple as a pencil to what goes into something as seemingly simple as a new age real estate transaction.

I, Real Estate Agent

This story begins with the sentence “I am a real estate agent—an ordinary job familiar to all adults who buy or sell a home” … “My job is seemingly so simple. Simple? Yet, very few people, including real estate agents and brokers themselves, understand everything required to work in today’s tech-savvy marketplace” … “Sending recipe cards to a database of friends or placing Halloween pumpkins on the doorsteps of neighbors. Driving buyers around and putting a sign in the yard. What do you see? Not much meets the eye—there’s an agent, a lender and a title company.”

In the past, maybe. But today, not so simple.

Like the lead pencil, much more than what meets the eye is required to procure today’s buyer and seller and more importantly what’s required to appropriately serve the buying and selling customer.

  • SEO (search engine optimization) expertise

  • SEM (search engine marketing) expertise

  • Web technology (dynamic, changing, complex yet user-friendly websites that lure and captivate the visitor)

  • Blogs and time-sensitive Content

  • Landing pages and capture forms

  • Combined automated + human systematic follow up for a 12-month average conversion

  • Expertise at designing and using intricate contact and content management, marketing and communication systems

  • Expertise at integrating systematic and strategic social networking

  • Expert skill at using multiple social media platforms, such as:

    • Facebook

    • Twitter

    • Linked-in

    • Geo-location apps like Facebook Places, Foursquare or SCVNGR

    • Eventbrite

    • Digg

    • Your Blog

    • YouTube

  • Expertise at using social media tools and applications to market seller’s properties to a global market

Today, what is required to market for new business, offer buyers what they want on the web, offer sellers what they want on the web, expose homes to a global market, communicate through the multitude of new social platforms, WHILE showing buyers homes, listing sellers homes and handling detailed paperwork and legalities required for escrow and the closing process—well, it’s complex, and beyond the capacity of one real estate agent. Yes, far more than meets the eye.

The days of one agent being able to succeed all on their own is over.

So let me finish where I started …

How many people does it take to produce a lead pencil successful real estate transaction?

]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/featured/i-real-estate-agent/feed/ 6 A Heart-felt Thank You to our Friends, Fans and Followers http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/a-heart-felt-thank-you/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/a-heart-felt-thank-you/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:44:46 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=4598 We at The GoodLife Team consider ourselves 'modern'. We strive to be unlike all other traditional real estate brokerages. And underneath all of our innovation is a vision, passion and commitment to produce whatever part of the change that we can to raise the bar of this industry.]]>

inman-innovatorAs most already know, The GoodLife Team was nominated for The Inman Innovator Award for the Most Innovative Brokerage in the US. Thrilling news – We won! As you can imagine, we at The GoodLife Team are beyond thrilled as well as deeply honored to have won this most prestigious industry award.

Why Us?

Earlier this week, I heard through the grapevine that some industry leaders were asking “what has The GoodLife Team done to be worthy of such an award?”

My response … Good question.

I do not know the metrics, algorithms or methodology used by Inman to select their winners. What I can say for sure, that I found immensely refreshing, is their selection process. We are not affiliated or connected to Inman politically. In fact, it was not until minutes before the award ceremony that I had the slightest inkling that we might win when, via email, I received the following message “please be in the room for the awards ceremony.” I will admit that, even then, I did not think we would win the award and did not know for sure until the exact moment when Brad Inman announced “The GoodLife Team” for most Innovative Brokerage in the Country and asked us to the stage to accept our award.

So, Innovators of the year?  

Innovation is an assessment of novelty or that something ‘new’ has been produced. Synonyms for novelty are: originality, newness, freshness, unconventionality, unfamiliarity, difference, imaginativeness, creativity, innovation and modernity.

I can tell you, The GoodLife Team has produced a lot of ‘new’. Our consumer-based, lifestyle website is ‘original’. Our brokerage model is ‘unconventional’-not the “recruiting model” of our competitors. Our communication & database system is ‘fresh’, custom designed and built on cloud-based technologies, enabling rapid response, tight information and secure data. We ‘imagined’ and then created our own social media and marketing strategies that are winning for our customers and being touted as the model to follow nationally. We hear recurrently from people who discover our website, brand, agents, culture, gossip, marketing … that we are ‘different’–that we don’t “look like those other real estate companies”. Also, we have ‘created’ a centralized operating system that is a sophisticated integration of our web technologies, tools, communication systems, social marketing, internet advertising, lead-generation and conversion systems as well as customer service standards and operations. I must admit- I think what we have built is quite the innovation. But, beyond what I think, others are taking notice as well. We were recently featured in a national study of next generation brokerages to watch for their innovations

We at The GoodLife Team consider ourselves ‘modern’. We strive to be unlike all other traditional real estate brokerages. And underneath all of our innovation is a vision, passion and commitment to produce whatever part of the change that we can to raise the bar of this industry. Where at the end of the day, we can finally be proud to say at dinner parties that yes, we are Realtors. Where at the end of that same day, customers are satisfied because they know we exist to take care of their concerns and we are competent to do so.

Why did we really win?

Perhaps it is our passion to raise the bar that earned  us the award. What I can say for sure is that we have in fact been innovating like crazy at The GoodLife Team. And I am deeply honored to have won the Inman Award for Most Innovative Brokerage because to me it validates what we have been working so hard to achieve: A new kind of real estate brokerage designed to take care of the wants of the new generation of home buyer and home seller.

Beyond innovation, why did we win? We won because of YOU.

Without you, the award would be meaningless.

We promised you, if we won with your help, we would throw  a celebration – an intimate celebration with our closest friends. Join us August 6th from 6-8 pm. Click here to RSVP.

A special thanks to those who voted for us in the People’s Choice Award.

]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/a-heart-felt-thank-you/feed/ 2 Goodlife Team Wins 2010 Inman Innovator Award http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/goodlife-team-selected-as-a-finalist-for-the-2010-inman-innovation-award/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/goodlife-team-selected-as-a-finalist-for-the-2010-inman-innovation-award/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:02:47 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=4199 UPDATE 07/15: WE WON!!! See the announcement from Inman here. Last week I was notified that The GoodLife Team was nominated and then selected as a finalist in the 2010 Innovator Awards by Inman News. I am proud to say we are one of ten brokerages to make the final cut. I am honored to [...]]]>

innovator_award_10_winnerUPDATE 07/15: WE WON!!! See the announcement from Inman here. Last week I was notified that The GoodLife Team was nominated and then selected as a finalist in the 2010 Innovator Awards by Inman News. I am proud to say we are one of ten brokerages to make the final cut. I am honored to be considered for this prestigious award. Being nominated is a demonstration of what we have been working on behind the scenes here at The GoodLife. Most people who know us associate us with good knowledgeable people, a trustworthy brand and an uncommon real estate experience. What most don’t know is what we have been building that enables and ensures us to recurrently provide the service being raved about is so on the edge for the industry, we are receiving national attention for it….hence, the nomination. It feels rather odd that as a local Austin boutique real estate firm we are currently in the national spotlight, but I’ll take it if it illustrates our high standards and commitment to innovate and enhance our practices in order to serve our customers better. I can promise you, no brokerage in Austin is doing it better. So, for those who are curious about what is behind the scenes here at The GoodLife … hang on … we are about to give you a peek behind our curtain in the next blog post. In the meantime, we would be honored if you would take the time to vote in the People’s Choice Award. People’s Choice Innovator Award: Vote Now! The winner will be announced on July 15th at Inman’s Real Estate Technology conference in San Francisco. Yes, there will be a big Austin celebration if we win! And you will be invited:) Update: Our press release about the Inman Innovator Award is on line.
]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/goodlife-team-selected-as-a-finalist-for-the-2010-inman-innovation-award/feed/ 1 Appealing Your Property Taxes http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/get-smart/appealing-your-property-taxes/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/get-smart/appealing-your-property-taxes/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 13:07:32 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=3847

Considering appealing your property taxes? In this short video Garry walks through the In’s and Out’s of the appeal process.
]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/get-smart/appealing-your-property-taxes/feed/ 0 The Real Estate Brokerage of the Future http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:57:56 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=2715

In January I will be flying to New York to speak about The Real Estate Brokerage of the Future at the Inman News’ bi-annual Technology Conference. Being recognized as one of the few in the industry who is building a model to take care of the expectations of the new tech-savvy real estate customer, I will be sharing with a national audience what we are innovating here at The GoodLife Team in terms of inventing new tools and implementing cloud-based technologies that are not yet understood by others in the industry. My message is one that I think is critically important to Brokers, agents and consumers alike. For all, real estate of the future will look much different than real estate of the past. Beyond the change in the economy – there has been a fundamental shift in consumer buyer behavior and how we, as consumers, make choices. And this shift will fundamentally change the way that you interact with your Austin real estate agent. The good news – I see the real estate brokerage of the future putting you, the consumer, squarely back in the center of the transaction. Technology-Centric & Customer-Obsessed What do I mean by that? Well, as I mention in my recent interview with Inman News, Real estate is not immune to the fundamental shift in consumer behaviors and expectations. If real estate agents and brokers are going to thrive in this new market, they must be technology-centric and customer-obsessed. Brokers must offer their agents leading technologies, fundamental and specific marketing technology-based strategies and execution, back-end support, quality control and performance measurement in order that the real estate agent has the means to offer you what you should expect in today’s web-based market place. Sadly, most brokers, and their agents, are neither technology-savvy nor customer obsessed. As a result, most buyers and sellers today do not think they are getting an equivalent value for the price they pay their agent and the agent’s broker. Yes, it’s time to demand more from your real estate agent. Marketing and selling your Austin home requires exposure beyond just the MLS. Finding your Austin home requires knowledge beyond being able to search up a 3 bedroom/2 bath in South Austin. All Agents are not the same Keep in mind, if you are thinking about buying or selling in the near future, who you hire matters. ALL AGENTS ARE NOT THE SAME…and the gap is getting even wider. Choose wisely. If it isn’t the GoodLife Team, make sure that your Austin real estate agent is technology-centric and customer-obsessed. And that they can demonstrate both. Look at their website. Do they blog? vlog? Are they using social media to assist you in selling your home? How? Do they answer their phone or do you have to leave a message? How long does it take them to call you back? These are just a few questions to help you start noticing the differences in agents. Helping you, the customer, is a privilege I am grateful, daily, for the trust you put in me and my company to help you with your most important asset. It is a privilege to be able to serve you. As I told Inman, ‘I see that people at the top of this industry are so far removed from the public and their needs, as well as the needs of their agents.’ This ultimately causes them to lose sight of you, the customer, and trickles down through the organization. It’s too easy for these big box brokers (as I like to call them) to treat you like a dollar sign. Moving into the future, I do not think you will tolerate this. I invite you to read my interview with Inman News in it’s entirety at http://glt.bz/inman. I will continue to lead the charge in building the GoodLife Team to be the Real Estate Brokerage of the Future and NEVER LOSE SIGHT that I do it all for you, my customers. As an end to this blog-I would like to ask …. As we move into the real estate world of the future, what would like to see differently in terms of what we as an industry offer you, a home buyer and/or seller?
]]> http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future/feed/ 1 The Real Estate Brokerage of the Future – Claim 1 http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future-claim-1/ http://www.goodlifeteam.com/future-of-real-estate/the-real-estate-brokerage-of-the-future-claim-1/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:19:48 +0000 Goodlife http://www.goodlifeteam.com/?p=2556

Krisstina Wise talks about the shift in the real estate market and how it will impact the future of real estate in her first of four claims about the industry and the real estate brokerage of the future.
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