In today's Agent Insights post, Ashley Cox - a Real Estate Agent in Dallas, Texas - talks about how to effectively sell your services and attract new real estate seller leads and clients in an overcrowded market.

Here's Ashley:

Time and money are interchangeable - so at some point in your real estate career, you have probably seriously debated pulling the trigger on hiring a real estate virtual assistant. And why not? If time is money, then you can just pay someone to do all your busy work so you can spend more time with clients, right? Well, sort of. Along with the benefits of having a virtual right hand guy or gal helping you out - there are also some pitfalls you should consider.

A very wise man (my dad) taught me that when you're trying to make a tough decision, it's best to make a list of all the pros and cons, then use that list to guide your choice. While this is a sage advice, I realize that many of you are too busy to sit around making lists. Since its my job to create and share helpful content that makes your life easier, I've made one for you.

Be honest – for as many times as you’ve listed the home that practically sells itself, there have also been times when you struggle to think of one nice thing to say about the property. In fact, I bet you’ve had a few days when a supremely sarcastic real estate listing description would do a much better job of explaining how you really feel than a "professional" one ever could. 

Writer’s block stinks! Make it go away with this great topic list, relevant to any agent or broker who wants to grow their real estate blogging efforts. This is a long list, so let’s get right to it! 

125 Real Estate Blog Topic Ideas for Agents & Brokers:

Real estate staging is a multi-million dollar business. There are literally thousands of tips on the best way to stage a home and there are thousands of certified stagers available to help you do it - if your sellers have the budget to hire someone.

However, in many cases staging fees won't be a top priority for your sellers, so it'll be up to you as the listing agent to help your clients get their home "show ready". There are lots of different considerations you can make, but many of them involve additional costs and can be rather time consuming. So how can you help your sellers manage their home staging duties without breaking the bank? Use these three guidelines.

3 Simple Real Estate Staging Tips for Busy Agents: