2017 surprised everyone in real estate. An unstable political climate and unbalanced real estate market meant many prospective homebuyers were left in the dust. While you begin researching what the 2018 housing market will entail, be sure to keep this in mind - the market isn’t likely to pick up soon, especially for first-time home buyers. Below we’ll be outlining a few key trends. Ultimatey harsh reality that things may not be looking up for first time home owners in 2018.

Agent Insights - In this edition of  Agent Insights, Gary Woltal, a real estate agent based out of Flower Mound, TX, shares with us his perspective on voicemail in the modern age. He is a fantastic real estate agent, and writer in general. For more articles by him, be sure to check out his Active Rain profile!

In the business world it takes an average of six to eight touches to generate a viable online lead, according to a study from SalesForce. And the Real Estate industry is no different. According to NAR, 92% of home buyers search online for listings. During initial stages of a home buyer’s journey, they are merely collecting information online about the home buying process. For agents to succeed at converting online buyer leads, they’ll need to understand this online journey. Without proper nurturing your or your buyer’s agent may be wasting resources on converting an online lead that is simply not ready to convert. In this article we’ll discuss how many touches it takes to convert a home buyer and which steps agents can take to expediate the sales process.

We have all been there. Your business is doing fantastic, and it feels like it is taking precedence in your life. Smaller things are pushed to the side. Maybe you forget an important date, you remember you have a listing appointment the day before, or you forego pursuing less important matters to take care of bigger ambitions.

With all the “New Year New Me” hoopla, you likely have made several resolutions towards your real estate career. Unlike diets, New Year career resolutions cannot be bought or sold through diet books or personal trainer packages. That’s why the Zurple team mapped out a few points to help you achieve success in 2018. Ensure you start 2018 off on the right foot by following the four guidelines for success in 2018.