Over half of all Americans now own a pet, with 44% owning a dog and 29% owning a cat according to Gallup News. With most Americans owning a pet, and almost half owning a dog or cat, you may begin to wonder if you should incorporate furbabies into your real estate marketing pieces. Pets are a core component of many homes. Many homeowners consider their pets to be family members after all. However, there’s a bit of debate in the real estate industry as to whether pets belong in the marketing pieces. Although we don’t have a firm yes or no answer, we’ve uncovered five do’s and don’ts of marketing with pets as a real estate agent.

On this edition of Agent Insights guest blogger Sharon Tara, a home stager based out of New Hampshire with Sharon Tara Transformations gives us good advice on the importance of being candid with your sellers. There are times when you have to give the cold truth to your sellers that will benefit them in the long run. For more from Sharon be sure to visit her website, or check out her Active Rain profile!

Let’s face it open houses are getting out of hand. Complimentary mimosas, appetizers, and even small take home bags are becoming the norm. However, you don’t have to treat guests like A-list celebrities to attract qualified buyers. With the proper marketing you can attract qualified homebuyers that are interested in more than just a free meal. Below are five marketing ideas that don’t’ cost an arm and a leg.

Everybody thinks that all Real Estate agents are outgoing, talkative, and lack inhibition. (in a good way of course!) While that may be true about some of the population, Real Estate agents come from all walks of life. One demographic you might be surprised exist in Real Estate are introverts...and you’d be surprised at how effective introverts can be at Networking…

Guest blogger Ashley is a super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.

The feature that all businesses are implementing into their daily tasks is automation. Automation provides much value for businesses, especially for real estate agents who are their own business. With the benefits that it brings, there are some places when human touch is necessary.

Agent Insights - In this edition of  Agent Insights, Debbie Reynolds, a Broker from Clarksville, TN with a collection of designations under her belt including ABR, AHWD, CRS, GREEN, GRI, and MRP.  After you read this article, be sure to check out her Active Rain profile for more tips.

The future of online marketing is looking more towards video each day. In fact, according to a 2017 WordStream study, more video content is now uploaded online in 30 days, than all of the video produced by major U.S. television networks have produced in the past 30 years. As a real estate professional, you should be making a transition to video marketing in 2018.What’s great is with the prevalence of social media and quality of smart phone videos, real estate agents no longer need to hire a professional to record their videos. Below we’ve highlighted seven do-it-yourself video marketing ideas, real estate agents can take advantage of without hiring a professional – 

A poor business card is one that gets thrown away and forgotten. A good business card is one that impresses the receiver and is kept. As a real estate agent, you need to reorder business cards every so often. This year you may be due for a style upgrade. However, with so many print options and companies out there, you may feel overwhelmed with options. However, it’s important your business card helps you stand out from the competition and remembered by real estate leads. In fact, 72% of Americans judge a professional on the quality of their business card. We’ve narrowed down ten unique options to help you capture the attention of prospects and ultimately get your card saved for a call back later. 

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, you'll see green merchandise lining the shelves of your favorite department stores. How else can you be green for this holiday? Read more to find out!