Personal Branding: Tips to Build a Strong “Brand You”

Personal branding.

It’s something Realtors were doing long before social media and the internet made it hip. But being “brand you” goes deeper than your love of surfing or your wacky tie. It’s about knowing who you are and what you stand for.

It’s what you believe, and what you do.

And according to a new book titled “Shine: How To Survive And Thrive At Work,” motivational speaker Chris Baréz-Brown asserts that to stand out, you need to be “a consistent and reliable brand.”

You need to be clear about who you are and why you do what you do. And then, do exactly what you say you’re going to do, and do it when you promised.

When it comes to building your personal real estate brand around this concept, testimonials from your past clients, combined with your track record of successful transactions can speak volumes about the work you do. Effectively branding yourself takes time, but the payoff can be tremendous.

To help you get started, here are a few tips that can help get you going in the right direction:

• Live your brand through your actions. You are your brand, so make sure that everything you do is in line with your goals and objectives. Follow-up promptly. Deliver on your promises. Over-prepare for every appointment. Remember, you are your business, so every interaction you have with a person is a direct reflection of your brand. Make sure your interactions tie in tightly with your core beliefs.
• Make sure your marketing collateral reflects who you are. Your website, emails, online listings, print pieces, and even the signs you use – they’re all a representation of you and your brand – and all your stuff needs to sing from the same song sheet. Colors and logos are important – but what’s critical is that the message you deliver to the consumers you serve is clear and consistent. If you pride yourself on working with first-time buyers, or focus your efforts on the military community, make it apparent in the materials you produce. You can’t be all things to all people, so focus on what’s important to you and your business, and then beat a steady drum with messaging that supports it.
• Be consistent and predictable. People like knowing what to expect, and then having their expectations met. Consistency and predictability may be the most important thing you do to build your personal brand; think Starbucks or McDonald’s – whether it’s a location in Omaha or Washington, DC, the experience you have is going to be exactly the same. It’s one of the reasons these companies are so successful.
• Celebrate the successes of your clients more than your own. Making sure that your clients are celebrated can help ensure that you’ll get your shine as well. Focusing on their wants and needs, and then helping make their wishes come true is more powerful than any postcard or web advertisement that you create on your own. And once you’ve helped your clients, congratulate them, and get a testimonial that you can use to build your brand and story. Praise coming from people you’ve actually helped means a lot more than anything you can say about yourself. It’s genuine, real and supremely meaningful.

These are just a few quick tips that can help build your personal brand into something powerful and meaningful to the consumers you serve, and can really help create a strong “Brand You.”

Source: Deidre Woollard from Lockbox

Happy Thanksgiving from Peace of Mind

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time where we all can come together, to spend time in the company of loved ones enjoying honey ham and pumpkin pie. Not only is Thanksgiving about the feast, family, friends and of course, football, but it is also an important time to look back over the past year, remembering the wonderful things in your life and being thankful for all that you are blessed with. What are you thankful for this year? This Thanksgiving, we would like to say we are thankful for YOU! We are grateful for the many years of support and this Thanksgiving, we are so very thankful for you and your continued business. www.peaceofmindhi.net

New Law Requires Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Homes!

Agents, expect to see a new safety concern cited in your next home inspection reports identifying the presence or absence of a working Carbon Monoxide Detector in your next real estate transaction. Just like home inspectors have to report on items such as smoke detectors, and water heater strapping, the new legislation requires homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California home.

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, each year claiming the lives of an average of 480 people and sending more than 20,000 people to emergency rooms across the nation. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and many types of appliances and cooking devices. The best way for homeowners to stay protected from CO is to have a carbon monoxide detector installed on every floor and outside each sleeping area.

Though previous laws only required newly-constructed homes to have CO alarms, the state’s new Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Senate Bill 183) requires owners of all existing single-family homes with an attached garage or a fossil fuel source to install CO alarm devices within the home by July 1, 2011. Owners of multi-family leased or rental dwellings, such as apartment buildings, have until January 1, 2013 to comply with the law.

Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Why Should I Get a Home Inspection?

More and more we hear of Americans purchasing homes without purchasing a home inspection. Why not spend just a few hundred dollars more when you are purchasing your home and be prepared for the future? For it is known, that purchasing a house is one of life’s largest expenses and it would be at your best interest to know what exactly you are getting yourself into when you turn the key to your new home!

A Peace of Mind certified inspector conducts a home inspection of a structure's condition as it exists, both interior and exterior, and then provides the home owner with a comprehensive written report.

Now the question is why getting a home inspection, would be of value to you?

1. Can you be objective?
Many home buyers get emotional when looking at a house. Home inspectors, fortunately, aren't distracted by pretty drapes; they're looking for problems because that is their job. We look at the house, while you look at the location and the potential.

2. Your biggest investment.
Purchasing a home is a huge investment, whether it is for first time home buyers, previous homeowners, rentals, or flip houses. Instead of Americans investing into their piggy banks, it is well known Americans invest into homes. With such a large amount invested into a home, you wouldn't want your newly purchased home to be full of unexpected surprises and expenses causing your investments to belly up, would you?

3. A Home Inspection Gives You Extra Room to Negotiate
If your home inspector informs you that the back porch is rotting or the roof needs to be replaced, you may opt to only purchase the home if the seller agrees to fix the items in question. A seller is always free to refuse your offer or respond with a counteroffer, but knowing exactly what is wrong with the property you wish to purchase allows you additional negotiation room with the seller. Even if the problem will be expensive to fix or the home is a foreclosure, it never hurts to ask the owner for a little bit of wiggle room.

4. Home Inspections Let You Prepare for the Future
If you obtain an inspection report that lets you know that the home needs work that you hadn't originally anticipated and the seller refuses to remedy the situation in order to close the deal, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn't buy the home. It does, however, let you know that at some point in the future you will need to make these repairs to the property. By getting a home inspection, you can prepare yourself for any additional costs that may arise.

5. A Home Inspection Lets You Walk Away
In some cases a home that is beautiful on the outside can be falling apart on the inside. A faulty electrical system, extensive crawlspace mold, or termite damage can all cost you thousands of dollars to fix. Provided that your original offer was made contingent on an accepted home inspection, you don’t have to try to plead with the seller to share the cost of repairs or start cashing in your investments to get the home fixed. You have the right to drop your offer and search for another home that is lower-maintenance than your first choice.

6. Newer Homes Don't Have Problems.
One of the big misunderstandings is that newer homes don't have problems. Many times hidden things aren't apparent like modified electrical wiring you can't see or broken roof tiles that haven't started to leak yet. Even in a new home it is a good idea to have a home inspection due to the fact that most of the trades (foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing drywall, roofing, etc.) are sub-contracted out to the lowest bidder and it is nearly impossible for the builder to personally monitor all phases of home construction.

To sum it all up, you wouldn't buy a used car without having it checked out by a mechanic, so don't purchase a new or used home without ordering a home inspection report.

How to Keep Your Home Safe During Holiday Travel

How to Keep Your Home Safe During Holiday Travel
By GrannyGoodEarth, eHow Member

It's that time of year when most of us are thinking about the holidays and seeing our loved ones. For some, that may mean traveling. While we would like to think that this is a time of "peace and good will" for all, we are realistic enough to know that it isn't always the case. The number of robberies and home invasions are up, perhaps due to the poor economy. You need to take some common sense steps to protect your home while you travel.

Instructions

1. A good first step is to make it harder for a burglar to get into your home. Remove items like ladders and garbage cans away from the house and locked up in a garage or shed. Placing items like this close to the house gives the burglars a "leg up" into your second story windows; a common break in location.

2. You've probably heard this one before: if you are going to be gone for awhile, have a neighbor or friend, pick up newspapers and mail. Better yet, put a hold on such deliveries.

3. Purchase timers to control lights and televisions throughout the house. Have the timers set at different times so that it appears that someone is home.

4. Here is an internet hint: don't post that you are going on a trip on Face Book or Twitter. The whole world is reading what you write including burglars.

5. If you have a home security system, check that it is working properly and that it is activated when you depart for your trip. You would be surprised how many homeowners forget to activate their system!

Tips & Warnings
• Depending on where you live, you may be able to notify your local police department of your absence and have them do drive-by observations.
• If you are leaving a dog behind be sure to put their collar on them. If you don't have a small ID tag on the collar, you can write your name and phone number inside the collar. Should there be a break in, burglars often set the dogs loose. You want to be sure that your best friend gets back to you.


Read more: How to Keep Your Home Safe During Holiday Travel eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5684298_keep-safe-during-holiday-travel.html#ixzz18xtBsQgY