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The Latest News from WFG National Title Company
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Agent advicerock star real estate agentvital client questions
January 4, 2015

5 answers to critical homebuyer questions that prove you’re a rock-star agent

With the national search portals just a tap away via their smartphones, today’s homebuyers are armed with data. They expect their agent to be a tech-savvy local market expert, excel at contracts and negotiation, and deliver the customer experience they’ve come to expect from companies like Apple and Zappos. What’s…
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Roland LigtenbergSelect
January 4, 2015

Roland Ligtenberg: ‘Freedom is the true motivator’

Roland Ligtenberg is the VP of growth and business development at HouseCall; he promoted HouseCall by dressing as Buddy, a character played by Will Farrell in the movie “Elf,” and delivering Christmas trees. Describe what you do in one sentence: I’m constantly looking for new scalable ways to get HouseCall…
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152
matterportplanitarSelectsurefieldTechnologyvirtual tours
January 3, 2015

How 3-D is changing real estate

Real estate agent Shawn Battle recently received a flood of questions about one of his listings from an agent representing a relocating buyer. The real estate agent could have answered all of the buyer’s questions. He sent an online 3-D model of the listing instead. Click the image above to…
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MarketingpitchSelectSerialstorytelling in real estateTJ Curran
January 3, 2015

What ‘Serial’ can teach you about real estate

If your family is like mine, sitting around the holiday dinner table means discussing the year that’s gone by and our aspirations for 2015. And if your family is really like mine, you’ll also discuss your theories about “Serial.” “Serial” is a podcast that explores a nonfiction story over multiple episodes; the final episode…
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119
Marketingreal estateSelect
January 3, 2015

Heather Elias: ‘It’s the quality of the connections that matters’

Age: 41 Years in real estate: 10 Job title: Vice president of industry engagement at Century 21 Redwood Realty Location: Northern Virginia Hours per week spent on social media: Not as many as when I was with NAR! Social media accounts: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest (in order of time spent)…
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Agent advicementor qualitiesnetworkreal estateSelect
December 31, 2014

6 qualities your mentor should have

Real estate is an ever-changing, innovative and competitive industry — one that is filled with much uncertainty yet can lead to a wildly successful and exciting future. For me, navigating these waters as one of the youngest Realtors in Kansas City would not be possible without the help and guidance of…
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economylou barnesMarkets & Economymortgage ratesSelectunemploymentwages
December 31, 2014

Economic growth will accelerate home sales, but not just yet

Each look outward into a new year in this space begins with Peter Drucker’s dictum: “Nobody can predict the future. The idea is to have a firm grasp of the present.” 2015 is the least predictable year ahead in my memory. Humility whispers: Unpredictability may mean anything from exciting to…
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Lorelei TaylorOpinionreal estateSelectsenior agentTechnologytraining
December 31, 2014

How should we manage senior agents and technology?

The brokerage for whom I work comprises people of a wide variety of ages and levels of experience. Among the 100-plus agents on the roster are several “senior” agents who have been in the business 30 or more years and have seen the business of real estate change enormously. They bring…
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119
Agent adviceMarkets & EconomyReal Estate MarketSelect
December 31, 2014

Charlie Young: ‘We are a completely transformed brand’

Charlie Young is the president and CEO of ERA Franchise Systems. Are you optimistic about 2015? Yes, I am quite optimistic for the year ahead. Our team has been re-energized by the rebranding process we rolled out in 2014. I believe that momentum, coupled with positive economic forecasts, will translate…
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