Bulletins – Hawaii Information Service

We have just released for your use new or updated HAR forms in REsearch.  The new or updated forms now available are as follows:

New Forms

• RR110: Short Sale Addendum to Exclusive Right-to-Sell Listing Agreement
• RR111: Distressed Property Addendum to Exclusive Right-to-Sell Listing Agreement
• RR223: Short Sale Addendum to Purchase Contract
• RR222: Distressed Property Addendum to Purchase Contract

Revised Forms

• RR204: Counter Offer
• RR206: Plain Language Addendum
• RR207: Extension of Closing Date (Formerly Written Notice to Escrow of Extension of Closing Date)
• RR210: Residential Leasehold Property Addendum
• RR211: Receipt for Residential Leasehold Property Disclosure  (Formerly Receipt for Lease/Residential Leasehold Property Disclosure)
• RR212: Action on Residential Leasehold Property Disclosure
• RR501: Commercial Real Property Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA)

Discontinued Forms

• RR204: Guidelines to the Counter Offer
• RR209: Residential Leasehold Property Disclosure

These new forms are also available at har@hawaiirealtors.com in the members only section as printable forms.  These have the release date of 09/08.
Should you encounter any problems with the new forms in REsearch, please contact our Customer Support team at 1-800-628-3121 if calling from the neighbor islands or 599-4224 if calling from Oahu.  You are also welcome to contact them by email to TechSupport@HawaiiInformation.com.

It’s undeniable; a strong web presence is a must for real estate professionals. Websites, blogs, listings in Google’s Business Directory…Wait; your business isn’t listed on Google Maps? If not, it’s definitely time to get on board. Getting your business listed on Google Maps is free and easy to set up (a winning combo if you ask me), and ensures that when consumers search Google maps, your business, and any details you include in your profile, show up. Include your address, photos, contact information and hours of operation, and if anything changes, editing your listing is simple and will be updated in a matter of weeks. Make sure to claim your listing (before someone else does!), and check on it periodically to make sure it hasn’t been modified.

Here’s how:

Step 1: If you don’t already have one, create a Google account here http://www.google.com/local/add.

Step 2: Click on the “Add New Business” button on the right side of the screen.

Step 3: Enter in your business’s information, follow the directions and you’re done!

Congratulations on making it that much easier for your customers to find and reach you. If you don’t already have a website and or a blog, visit www.hawaiiinformation.com for a custom website, or www.alohaliving.com for a blog.

-Erin Shaw

Aside from attracting leads, properly maintaining them is one of the most important things you can do for your business. Everyone needs a little bit of TLC, especially when they are making such a huge buying decision. Keep everyone — from cold prospects to piping hot buyers — in good spirits by regularly reaching out to them. With a way to keep track of everyone, you can use e-mail blasts, mail outs, and phone calls to make sure no one will ever feel left behind.

The first step to good client relationship management is to put your clients into two groups: your sphere of influence, or people you have a personal relationship with (i.e. friends, family, past clients), and your prospects (clients you are currently working with or people you want to reach out to). If you only have enough time and money to keep up with one group, make sure it’s your sphere. We all know that it’s easier to keep existing clients rather than generate new ones. Foster the group that already knows you, trusts you, and is likely to generate repeat business and referrals.

If you can manage both, make sure you vary your messages and collateral so that they are appropriate for each group. Your sphere should receive warmer, more personal messages and pieces, whereas your prospects should get more professional messages and pieces that showcase you as the exceptional agent you are.

In my experience, agents tend to get the best results when they reach out to their spheres and their prospects once a month — and consistency is key. A person might not be ready to buy right now, but if you are consistently in front of them, reminding them of your presence and capability, you have a much better chance of them calling you when they are ready.

Some other tips:

• Use Client Relationship Management (CRM) software. A spreadsheet is great, but it won’t do you justice. Use one of the many CRM packages made especially for real estate agents to keep track of your clients.
• Be diligent. You will find that if you use CRM software regularly and make use of its many features, your business will grow exponentially. I suggest making it the first screen that pops up whenever you turn on your computer and the first thing you do each day.
• Vary the way you communicate with people so they aren’t being deluged with postcards or e-mails.
• Mix things up. Send a combination of warm and personal messages as well as real estate specific statistics and information that is relevant to them.
• Make sure the market information you send is people friendly. If the average person can’t read or understand it, it won’t work.
• Track your success. Make sure to ask people who call how they heard about you, or if they received the recent piece you sent…Make it a priority to take note of these reactions in each client’s profile so you can see what is and is not working.

-Erin Shaw