Where There is a Will, There is a Way

RISMEDIA, December 22, 2006-Chuck Pool is so pleased with his five exclusiveBy Monte Helme

RISMEDIA, December 22, 2006-Chuck Pool is so pleased with his five exclusive HouseHunt territories in the Sacramento Metro area that he has left them in his will to Susie, his wife and assistant, and his son, Mark, a fellow sales agent.

"My territories are the backbone of my business. The leads I receive from HouseHunt every month represent 50% to 70% of my income," he explains. "I want that business to stay in the family."

How's that for looking ahead?

In a changing housing market, Pool knows what he needs to do to maintain his production and to capture leads that might go to someone else if he fails to communicate quickly and effectively to prospective clients.

"I am 74 years old and still call my HouseHunt leads every evening, starting at 6 o'clock. My wife enters every good lead into HouseHunt's Total Internet Marketing (TIM) drip system to establish repetitive contact with all of our clients and prospects. As a result, I have sold homes to prospects on my TIM drip system one-to-three years after the original contact."

Pool, of RE/MAX Gold in Cameron Park, California, is also one of five real estate agents inducted into the HouseHunt Hall of Fame this year. To qualify, he closed $640,000 of commission business directly related to HouseHunt leads over a five-year period.
Michael Bearden, president and CEO of HouseHunt, Inc., says that 2007 will be another banner year for Pool and more than 1,500 member agents who own exclusive http://www.HouseHunt.com and http://www.moveUp.com territories in 47 states.

"We welcome the changes now taking place," he says, "because our member agents have always been successful in any kind of market. In a seller's market, we supply buyer leads. In a buyer's market, we supply seller leads. We deliver leads 24/7. Nothing has really changed. It has improved. Individual agents who take the time to fully utilize our systems and our marketing tools are successful. Those who don't, usually fail.

"As a company, our philosophy hasn't changed one bit since we started in 1995: to give our member agents a competitive edge and help them to make more money," he continues. "Exclusive territories and great search engine placement have made that happen."

Bearden adds: "Fifty percent of our member agents have been with us for at least two years. This year, 40 percent of HouseHunt.com and moveUp.com sales to new member agents are coming from present members. That's outstanding."

"One of the many competitive advantages we offer is our TIM system," Bearden explains, "a fully automated management, marketing, communications and leads follow-up system exclusively for real estate agents affiliated with HouseHunt. Later this year, a new and improved version of TIM will be in place. It will be everything a Realtor needs to excel in the real estate business.

"Additionally, we offer our member agents many competitive advantages," he says. "These include outstanding customer service, our interactive Webinars (seminars conducted on the Internet), access to 1.6 million listings across the country, our marketing materials, training videos for agents and customers, positioning our customers in the forefront of search engines, our client base-everything for them to be successful."

Another innovation achieving national and regional attention for HouseHunt, Inc., and its member agents is the quarterly "Current Market Conditions" random survey, which has accurately identified overall market changes across the country.
Just consider the following trends spotted in its latest survey:

Buyers & sellers. The buyer-seller ratio has flip-flopped from 61% favoring sellers a year ago to 52% now favoring buyers.

Average time on the market. A year ago 77% said homes were selling in 60 days or less. Now, 74% of home sales are taking more than 60 days, with some requiring 120 days or more.

Softer prices. A year ago, 80% of sellers reported they were getting 100% of asking prices. Now, only 51% said they were getting 95-100%. Multiple offers have just about vanished.

Annual price appreciation. In most markets it's 5% or less, compared to double digit run-ups a year ago. Thirty-one percent now report negative appreciation.

First-time buyers. They are becoming more active, thanks to a slower, more balanced market. Inventories are building, sellers are more flexible, and mortgage interest rates are still affordable.

Pool sums it up best: "Joining HouseHunt is the single best thing I have done in my 28-year real estate career." RE

For more information, visit http://www.HouseHunt.com and http://www.moveUp.com.

Real Estate Hot Topics

Profit Center: Real Estate Tips, Training & Events

RISMedia Solutions

RISMedia on the Go

Today's Featured Listing