In a short sale situation there has been a lot of confusion as to whether or not more than one offer should be submitted to the bank.  Ultimately that decision is the property owner’s decision alone.  All we can do as real estate agents is advise our seller clients of the ramifications of submitting more than one offer to a lender.  In my experience, (successfully closed 26 in the past 18 months), it is in the Sellers’ best interests not to submit more than one offer at a time to a lender.  Due to the overwhelming workloads at the banks in handling short sales when an additional offer is submitted it tends to bog the process down and can even in most instances start the whole thing over from scratch!  It’s important to have a discussion with your seller clients as to the possibility of this happening.  In most instances my sellers have decided to hold additional offers as back-up offers if the buyers are willing to agree to this situation. 
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If you have not read Real Estate Optimizing 101, I recommend reading this before proceeding.

So now that we have done our keyword research, have created a solid title for the page and sporadically placed our keywords throughout our page content, what’s next?
META TAGS

Without delving too deeply into HTML code, the basic page layout consists of a HEAD Section followed by the BODY section. All content is in the BODY. In the HEAD section is where your TITLE tag appears as well as some Search Engine specific tags known as META tags, specifically the DESCRIPTION tag and the KEYWORD tag.
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There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding when a short sale should be listed as pending in the MLS.  The discussion seems to be around when the offer is truly accepted.  Is it when the seller accepts or the bank approves the terms of the sale? 

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I haven’t been a Real Estate Sales Agent, (officially, that is), for long, but I have been in the business long enough to know how badly this market has gotten and how hard this industry can be. Having said that, maybe it’s not as bad as one might think?
But “It’s not your Mother’s Real Estate”, that’s for sure!

Is it hard work? YES!! Is it fun work? YES!! Well, I hope it is, or you’re in the wrong business. I’m not saying that there aren’t times when it’s NOT so much fun, but you HAVE to enjoy this business to stay in it–don’t you?! Either that or you’re a sadist and enjoy self induced torture…. Ok, ok…. Really, it’s not THAT bad! Ask other seasoned Realtors®. I have; just recently. Most tell me that they are right straight out! Check out your “friends” on Facebook.com. I’ve noticed that most of my real estate “friends” have a status of “working on another offer”, “putting together another listing”, “writing up an offer and then off to a closing”, etc. Does that sound like a down market?
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 The following article is brought to you by Matthew Ferrara & Company. To read more ideas like this, visit www.matthewferrara.com or contact them directly 1-800-253-2350. 

There’s a paradox in today’s housing industry: The real estate marketplace is showing signs of potential, but the real estate business is still falling apart. Home affordability is the best in decades; mortgage rates the lowest in modern times. Sellers and buyers are starting to get it. Yet after hundreds of thousands of ® have left the industry, the news continues to be about bankruptcies, layoffs and implosions at brokerages nationwide. Agents are demoralized; managers are shaken; brokers sweating. This, even at a time when online operational costs such as marketing have plummeted and technology-driven success stories are soaring. Why, then, is the industry stuck in the mud? Perhaps it’s because we’re focused on the problems - and not the opportunities.
Peter Drucker, the management guru whose works inspire the consulting ideas at Matthew Ferrara & Company, once said: “Unless there is a true catastrophe, problems are not discussed in management meetings until opportunities have been analyzed and properly dealt with.” In part because of their risk management orientation, [managers] are exceptionally good at detailing why a new initiative will not work. This includes both employee and customer issues.
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The following article is brought to you by Michelle Neujahr. To read more ideas like this, visit http://www.michelleneujahr.com/. 

Having dreams is an essential part of having an awesome life. Our dreams keep us passionate, give us something to strive for and keep us excited about our journey. Dream big, share your dreams with others and go after the impossible. In order to build an awesome life, you need to dream big.

Create a goal board. Each year write down your goals and dreams, frame them and hang them in a highly visible location.

Write down goals. Include all new and small goals and update your list frequently. There is power in committing our goals to paper.

Dream big! And often. Take regular time to dream. Think about your ideal life. And let yourself be unrealistic.
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The following article is brought to you by Matthew Ferrara & Company. To read more ideas like this, visit www.matthewferrara.com or contact them directly 1-800-253-2350. 

At first, I thought it was a joke, something to lighten the mood of an otherwise dour real estate industry. Yet a few clicks of the email invitation told me it wasn’t a joke, it was actually back by “popular demand” of a lot of REALTORS®.  If I hurried, I could save a seat at the “all new and updated” course that would unlock my power colors and align my compass at a very affordable price. I couldn’t help it, and just laughed out loud.

Feng Shui for real estate is back. It’s being conducted in the Temples of Real Estate Associations across America. Even more incredibly, in some states it has been approved for Continuing Education, a sanctioned topic that deals with “consumer protection.”
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The following article is brought to you by Matthew Ferrara & Company. To read more ideas like this, visit www.matthewferrara.com or contact them directly 1-800-253-2350.  

While the vast majority of REALTORS® still don’t know that social networking exists, there’s definitely a trend growing amongst “early adopters” to drive a stake in the heart of the Web 2.0 world. Being first often creates a competitive advantage - such as being first to respond to a buyer’s inquiry on a property. On the other hand, being effective with social networking technology requires something that too many REALTORS® still need to learn:

We don’t care that you have just listed another overpriced property!

On the surface, social networking is the easiest technology for the industry’s Boomer-somethings to master. Unlike MLS systems, forms software, corporate intranets or the menus of not-so-smart-smartphones, social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn are mercifully straightforward. Simply fill in the blanks and you’re in the network. A box for your name, another for your email and another for your website. And don’t forget the box for your high-school photo. Social networking is easier than taking an overpriced listing.
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