Recent studies show us that people on the Internet do not read. According to social media website Mashable, users read 20 percent of a webpage before moving on. “We spend 15-20 seconds on a webpage before we move on. We are a global planet of fruit flies.”

There are plenty of buyers and sellers online looking for a reliable realtor to help them sell their home in a turbulent market or find that perfect house in an uncertain economy. How do we distinguish ourselves from the thousands of real estate professionals with an online presence?

The answer is social media. PR professional Steve Rubel suggests being “a source of knowledge” through social media. If your friends, followers, and readers know that you’re in-tune with the industry, then they’re more likely to turn to you when they need real estate advice. If your ‘fans’ see that you’re constantly updating your online presence with more information and content, they’ll be more likely to think of you when they decide to invest in a property. 

RE/MAX of New Jersey Associates get the chance to listen to social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk guide them through the steps to establishing an online presence and reaching a new audience. The Tech Rally on September 15th is exclusive to the RE/MAX of NJ Associates and features Vaynerchuk, real estate coach Tom Ferry and an afternoon session with Google. More information on this event is available at www.remax-nj.net/techrally. 

As of 2010, 90 percent of buyers and sellers were online while more are following in the same footsteps. We can’t afford not to be there for them.

5 Steps to Buying Before Tax Credit Expires

 The expanded tax credit for U.S. homebuyers, which extends the $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Credit and creates a new $6,500 credit for most repeat buyers, expires on July 1, 2010. As a buyer, you must be under contract by April 30 to make the deadline. This doesn’t leave much time to start the buying process.

To help you get in under the wire, Lisa Escue (CDPE), with RE/MAX Masters II in Grapevine, Texas outlines these steps:

Step 1. Find a Local Lender You Can Talk To in Person
Local lenders understand your market and know of loan programs that might be beneficial to you.

Check with your lender on any local programs that might help with closing costs or in other ways. Even though the media have pronounced the 100-percent-financing option dead, this is not always the case. Check it out for yourself and then get preapproved for a loan so you know how much house you’re able to buy.

View a video on the homebuyer tax credit

Step 2. Be Specific in the Area You Want To Live
Educate yourself. Familiarize yourself with the neighborhoods you’re interested in, the taxes and school districts. This not only helps you narrow down your search when you need to move fast, but also helps you figure out potential mortgage payments. Search for homes in your desired neighborhoods.

Step 3. Find an Agent Specializing in the Area You Want to Live
This will save you time and effort. Once you’ve identified an agent, trust him or her to do the job. Agents who are thriving in this challenging market have proven their worth. They have the resources and skills to help you find your next home.

Step 4. Don’t Shy Away From Houses That Need Some Work
Just because a house needs some paint or cosmetic fixes doesn’t mean it’s not a good buy. Most real estate agents have an address book full of trusted businesses they work with to help you fix up your new home. There’s an HUD program known as 203(k) that enables you to fold repair money into a primary mortgage; ask a RE/MAX agent in your market about the program.

Step 5. Be Prepared To Act
Sometimes the first home you see is the right one for you. Don’t discount it. Remember, good deals still go fast. Take advantage of the electronic tools your real estate agent has to offer. In many instances, real estate agents have access to better information than what you can find in a standard Internet search.

This week at Classic- The weather is great, and the news seems to be brightening also!!!

Housing prices down again, but…

Here we go again with more confusing statistics – but this time it may actually be telling a story. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of 20 major cities fell for 31st straight month, but for the first time since October 2007, the annual rate is not a record low. The index fell 18.6% from February 2008, compared with a 19% year-over-year decline in January, and was also down 2.2% from January. The index has not recorded a price rise since July 2006 and has fallen 30.7% since that peak. However, the rate of decline slowed, with the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index not hitting a record low for year-over-year drop for the first time since October 2007. This hardly sounds like news to break out champagne on, and it’s not. But it is another indication that we’re scraping along near the bottom. As IHS Global Insight economist Patrick Newport says, “We believe that the bottom is at hand and that sales will begin turning in the second half of this year.” As previous recession’s show, demand for new homes does not evaporate altogether, even in the hardest of times.” Guess we’ll see.

Consumer confidence up…
Housing prices being down-but-not-too-far-down is not the only indication of a bottom to the economy either. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index climbed to 39.2 this month from an upwardly revised 26.9 in March – the highest since November 2008. Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions improved moderately, with those claiming business conditions are “bad” easing to 45.7 percent from 51.0 percent, while those claiming business conditions are “good” rose to 7.6 percent from 6.9 percent. Consumers expecting business conditions to worsen over the next six months declined to 25.3 percent from 37.8 percent, while those expecting conditions to improve rose to 15.6 percent from 9.6 percent in March. “The sharp increase in the expectations index suggests that consumers believe the economy is nearing a bottom, however this index remains well below levels associated with strong economic growth,” said Lynn Franco, director of the industry group’s Consumer Research Center. Notice the caveat there? Confidence is still in the pit without a handhold, but at least it’s leaping for the edge.

We’ve all heard of the vast fortunes made during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but what about the opportunities available in today’s Great Real Estate Recession? Are you going to make the most of them?

Those who believe that real estate is a tide that moves all boats equally are just plain wrong. The fact is, we may very well be in the single greatest move-up real estate market in decades! Today’s market represents a rare opportunity for some to move up to their dream home at virtually unprecedented prices. Here is what most in the media, pessimists and those non-strategic about real estate are not telling you:

• Prices of higher-priced homes have (generally) declined more, as measured in dollars and/or percentage of price, than have prices of lower-priced homes.
• Vacation properties have also changed based upon their own local economics.
• If the price of your home has moved down less than the price of your ideal home, this may be the time to make your move.

Here are some of the often-overlooked questions you need to answer before considering your move-up:

1. What price could my home bring if put on the market today?
2. What is the price of my ideal home in today’s market?
3. What will the difference in monthly costs be should I decide to move up?
4. What will my net costs be after tax?
5. What is the potential for immediate lifestyle enhancement and for long-term financial gain if I move up?

The answers to these questions are vital to making a more fully informed decision about the opportunities present in today’s market. As a Top 5 in Real Estate member, I can help you find these answers. I also encourage you to discuss any changes in your real estate holdings with your attorney, financial planner and accountant.

If you have longed to move to another community, enjoy a house at the shore or create income through rental property, now might be your best chance to do so. If you or any of your family, friends or neighbors need help monitoring the market, I can help. Simply forward this e-mail to them. If you would like to find your own real estate opportunity, e-mail me and let’s get started.

Remember, some of the greatest fortunes were made through real estate purchased during the Great Depression. Your ship may have just come in!

If you didn’t find a way to celebrate Earth Day this week you have not missed your chance. The beautiful weather this weekend is going to offer plenty of opportunities to celebrate and enjoy the earth. The following are just a few.

“Breathe Deeply – Celebrating Earth Day through Art”
Date: 4/25,4/26, 4/27, & 4/28
Venue: Summit Medical Group
Address:
1 Diamond Hill Road
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
Description:
works by Park Ridge artist Liron Sissman

Earth Day Event
Date:
04/25/09
Venue: Deer Path Park
Time:
10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Address:
West Woodschurch Road
Readington, NJ 08870
Description:
4-H animals, canoe and fishing clinics, craft stations for children, food, exhibits, Mr. ReCycle and his Magic Show at 11, how to build a storm at 1 and wild animal show at 3
Ticket Price:
$5/vehicle

Spring Plant Sale and Earth Day Celebration
Date:
04/26/09 4/25
Venue: Leonard J. Buck Garden
Time:
12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Address:
11 Layton Road
Far Hills, NJ 07931
Description:
plant sale of perennials, ferns and woody plants, garden lectures and guided tours

Eighth Annual Earth Day Celebration
Date:
04/25/09
Venue: Triple C Ranch
Time:
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Address:
206 Tyler Road
Edison, NJ 08820
Description:
The Edison Wetlands Association celebrates Earth Day with a petting zoo, live music, a reptile presentation, BBQ, eco-tours, raffles, arts and crafts, and games

I’ve written a lot recently about all the benefits this market offers first time home buyers. Reduced home prices, low interest rates, and tax credits make it a great time to be a first time buyer. While this is true first time home buyers are not the only ones who can benefit from low interest rates and reduced home prices.

It is also a very good time to be a move up buyer. If you are looking to sell a smaller home and move up to a larger one you may have to sell at a lower price than you would like, but you will more than make up for it when you buy at a reduced price.

If you sell your current home for 20k less that you may have at the height of the market, you may be able to by a larger home for 40k less than it would have sold for. The discount you receive on your purchase more than makes up for whatever your “loss” is on your sale.

On paper the math is clear. The problem is that sellers are emotionally attached to their home. It is often difficult for sellers to reconcile what they think their home is worth, or what it may have been worth at one point for what someone is actually willing to pay for it now. If they start looking at the market through buyer’s eyes they begin to see what it has to offer them.

Buyers who are currently on the fence or waiting to see if prices will go lower still may want to consider taking action now. Waiting for sale prices to get lower could backfire if interest rates go up in the meantime. A one-point increase in interest rates raises monthly mortgage payments the same as a 10 percent increase in prices.

I was just asked by one of our agents if other agents were having a difficult time in our current market. To me the market is a mindset, those who are doing very well right now have adapted to the market and have a mindset to succeed. They are not listening to others who complain about the market or are waiting for the 2005 market to return.
Here are some words of wisdom from my friend and mentor Larry Kendall from The Group in Colorado. For those who have taken the CRS class on Ninja selling you will recognize him as the creator. Have a great week and dance in the rain!

Are You Dancing In the Rain?
“Stop waiting for the storm to end… and start learning to dance in the rain.”

Are you waiting for the market to improve or have you made the shift to the new market? Despite the downturn in home sales and prices, I am seeing many Realtors having their best years ever! What are they doing that the others are not? They have learned to dance in the rain. They are “thriving it out” versus “riding it out.” It starts with your mindset.

Thriving Realtor Mindset:
• The old market isn’t coming back.
• I’m thriving in this market.
• I’m learning to “dance in the rain.”
• I’m making the shift: new mindset, new skills and new actions.
• There is always a market. I just need to find it.

For those who are waiting for the old market to return, forget it! It’s not coming back. This is my 36th year in real estate and I have seen a lot of cycles. Markets come back, but they never come back in the same form as before.

And the cycles are a lot slower than people realize – usually 5 to 10 years or longer. The record is probably the Hawaii market of the 80′s and 90′s when investors overheated that market. The peak to trough to peak for home prices was 13 years!

So, stop asking, “When will the market return?” Get over it and make the shift. It starts with your mindset. Your income will start rising when you adopt this new mindset.

I was visiting recently with Karen Levine, a wonderful Realtor in Denver, Colorado. She told me she just had a fabulous year in 2008, up substantially from 2007. Since the market was much worse in 2008 than 2007, I asked her, “What did you do differently.” She said, “I shifted my mindset to THRIVING versus just surviving and that made all the difference.”

I notice that Realtors who have learned to dance in the rain possess three key ingredients:

• The right mindset
• The new skillset
• The effective actions

Wednesday- Branchburg office meeting 10am.
Thursday- Berkeley Heights- Brent Franklin seminar on listing appointments
Thursday- Bronx- Yankee Opening Day…

Remember to sign up for the RE/MAX Rally ASAP it’s on the 23rd!!

Minutes Matter!

When it comes to prioritizing tasks, we could read hundreds and hundreds of books on time management, blocking time, and project management. Here’s a way to keep yourself accountable on a daily basis…but before I really get into the depths of this, let me explain WHY you should be accountable to yourself on a DAILY basis.

Look it as if you are running a marathon and business, as well as life, is a marathon. You wouldn’t start off the race by running as fast as you can to the first mile marker would you? Of course not. But this is so often what a person does when they start a job or start a new company or start a new task. Especially after listening or attending any motivational speaker or seminar.

You also wouldn’t look at the race as 26.2 miles. But people often look at starting their own business or a long term task as too daunting so they give up.

To be the most successful, you would take one step at a time. Successories sells a lot of posters that say, “The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with Just One Step,” but how many abide by this simple rule of dedication and determination. It’s as simple as look at the space in front of it and fill it. That’s what you are doing on a daily basis. You are looking at the tasks that need to be done, then doing them one by one. Here’s a phrase for your notebook, door, computer screen, etc: MINUTES MATTER! MINUTES MATTER!!! Make your working minutes matter more and you will make your personal time minutes matter more.
And here’s how…

You’re going to do a minimum of 5 things per day. These are the IMPORTANT, but not necessarily URGENT items.

Assign values in the following manners:
40 points to the #1 most important thing you HAVE to do TODAY (Urgent and Important).
30 points to the #2 most important.
20 to the #3 most important.
10 to the #4 most important.
+10 for the #5 most important thing you need to do.

Let’s analyze the beauty and simplicity of this system:
First, how often have you avoided that huge task when you KNOW you have to get it done? Here’s my theory: If sometime during the day, you know that you are going to have to swallow a frog, swallow the frog in the morning. Get it done. Sounds simple, because it is. Get your 40-pointer done by 10 a.m. It’s NEVER as bad as you think it is!

Secondly, save something fun or from outside your business element for the +10 activity. For instance, my +10 today was to schedule meeting for drinks with 2 of my friends for Tuesday. These are the icing on the cake to a good day. Speaking of cake and icing. A warning: Don’t make the +10 a food item. Don’t promise yourself, “If I get the Big 4 done then I’ll treat myself to an ice cream.” Make the +10 task fulfill a need in another area of your life: Family, Relationships, Health, etc.

Strive to get 110 points per day.

Start each day or the night before by assigning your 5 tasks these points totals.

What five tasks are you going to do tomorrow? Please write them below:

40
30
20
10
+10

Now, what if you don’t get one of them done for one reason or the other? Well, if you don’t get one done, it automatically goes to the 40 spot. Period. If you have to get up 10 minutes earlier, if you have to drive downtown to get your oil changed, if you have to hire a carrier service, WHATEVER IT TAKES, GET IT DONE.

Some people will say, “But I’ve got more than 5 things to do each day. What do I do?” Two words: Do them. What happens when you do this system is you become very focused. The things that need to be done get done and then you are on such a roll that you continue on to have a very productive day. The key is to get started on the right track. This system does that for you.

Another helpful hint for implementing this: Right now, to the right of this page, write down everything you need to do. Every from “I should do ” or “I need to do “, just start writing until the brain is empty.

Then take the top 5 for tomorrow. Those 5 should have the biggest impact on your business or life. Assign them values from 40 to +10 and get started. Write them in your Palm Pilot, your laptop, in your Day Planner, on a piece of paper on your desk, on a post-it, on your hand, somewhere and get started. Put them the same place every time.

This simple system allows you to keep marching. A day full of small steps creates a year of major achievements. Remember, MINUTES MATTER! Take advantage of every moment.

The Easter Bunny will be making several appearances all over central New Jersey this weekend the following is a list of just some of the places you’ll be able to catch him and maybe even hunt for some of the eggs he’s left behind. Don’t forget your cameras, these events will be sure to provide plenty of photo opportunities. Many of these events are held outdoors so make sure to call ahead in case of cancelation due to inclement weather.

Clinton Township
Easter egg hunt and wagon parade on Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m., Bundt Park on Red Schoolhouse Road. For township toddlers through 3rd grade. Prizes awarded for funniest, prettiest and most-creative decorated wagons.
Follow the Easter Bunny after the Wagon Parade to the egg hunt area for goodies and special prize eggs; play games and do the “Bunny Hop” inside the inflatable bounce. Bring cameras for photos with the Easter Bunny. A snack bar will be open for beverages and breakfast snacks. In case of rain, it will be at the township Middle School gym.

Bridgewater
Gateway Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Noon-2 p.m. April 11. Annual Easter egg hunt. Free
Ages: Toddler | Elementary
Directions: Directly across from North Branch Park – 4H Fairgrounds
Gateway Baptist Curch
324 Milltown Rd
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Phone: 908-722-9790

Flemington
Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 11 at 9:45 a.m., Liberty Village Premium Outlets, at the center’s main entrance (next to Carter’s). Plastic eggs filled with treats and prizes will be hidden throughout the village. The egg hunt will begin following the arrival of the Easter Bunny. Photographs with the Easter Bunny will be available. 782-8550

Raritan Township
Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 4 at 11:30 a.m., Lenape Park on Route 523. Through age 11. Prizes and the Easter Bunny are included. Sponsored by V.F.W. Post 7856 and Auxiliary. Rain date is April 11. 782-8397
Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran Church, Route 31. Includes crafts, egg hunt, a Bounce House, games, prizes and more. 782-5120.

Readington Twp. Schaefer Farms, 1051 Flemington/Whitehouse Road (Route 523), is holding Easter egg hunts slated for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Event includes hayride to the egg field, bounce in Daisy Bell the Cow moonwalk, visits with Easter Bunny and a petting zoo. Cost is $7.