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As the economy struggled in the late 2000s, the real estate industry took a severe hit to its profitability. As a result, real estate companies and brokerages were affected immensely, with 70% of offices in North America rumored to be unprofitable. This was primarily caused by the depreciation of housing values and the stark increase in foreclosures and short sales. Real estate companies are having difficulty adapting to the on-going structural shift in the real estate market – previous tools, approaches and methods are becoming ineffective and obsolete. Profitability is not an organic process, and companies have to budget and set reasonable goals for themselves and their agents.

Most real estate professionals find hiring assistants challenging. There is a process, however, that increases the odds of hiring the best possible candidate. Step 1: Job Profile – Skills and Style You are destined to hire badly unless you are clear on the job profile. That is, the skills that will be required and personal style that is best suited for the job.

In today’s world, we’re constantly sabotaged by nonproductive energy wasters. There are emails to read. Facebook statuses to update. Receipts to locate for that already-late expense report. Dishes to be washed. Files to be organized. And on, and on, and on. These are the easy, albeit often unproductive, tasks that make us feel good. They may not get you any closer to accomplishing your greater goals, but at least you’ve checked a couple of things off your to-do list.

We have all had the experience of throwing a stone in a pond and watching the waves ripple across the surface in ever expanding, concentric circles. Just as a ripple hits the shoreline, your reputation for the quality and quantity of service you render precedes you in your marketplace. Whether you're aware of it or not, there's an active "word-of-mouth campaign" going on about you in your community. So the real question isn't whether or not people are talking about you, but more importantly, what are they saying?

As a culture, we are infatuated with “magic pill” cures that can solve many of life’s problems. Weight loss, chronic pain, get-rich-quick businesses, fantastic abs and, yes, even the “recruiting pill.” Brokers today are growing in many ways and, those

Last month, Steve Murray, president of Real Trends Inc., and Ian Morris, CEO of Market Leader, released a book focused specifically on what the real estate industry will look like over the next five years. The book, Game Plan, takes into account a significant amount of research as well as interviews with many of you about your current business and vision for what’s ahead. Murray and Morris then offer 10 trends that they expect to see come to fruition over the next five years, with a specific “game plan” to help real estate agents, brokers, and franchises succeed.

(EMC)—Although Admiral David Farragut had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Navy, he's best known for a single order he gave at the Battle of Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Farragut ordered his ships to attack the port, but when one ship

They say the only constant in life is change. And when it comes to real estate marketing, those changes are coming fast and furious. A few years ago, few people had even heard of blogging, Facebook, or Twitter. And one of the biggest changes of all—online video—had

Your newest agent stops by your office on her way out the door. She’s excited because she just got a phone call from a potential seller and plans to meet him tonight to tour his single-family home. “He said he’d heard good things about me!” she exclaims. “This could be my big break!” As she rushes off, you wonder how the prospect could have heard about your enthusiastic young agent, who has not yet made a sale. Would you let this happen? What safety precautions does your office have in place to check out the unknown seller, where the agent is going and who else will be there?

Have you ever felt like you had reached a plateau and could go no higher? If so, you're not alone; many people sabotage their own success. In my work as a real estate business coach for the past 15+ years, I have had many people present a similar question: "Why can't I be more successful? Why do I stop myself? I feel like I am my own worst enemy."

Recently, my father told me that he was looking to get a new “cell phone” and said he “doesn’t need to have the Internet on his phone,” to which I responded, “You don’t need it, but why wouldn’t you want to have it?”

When I speak to groups or teach classes about real estate, I often get questions about how to enable a mobile strategy. One of the key ways to do this is actually less about the mobile technology you carry and more about the kind of content you are enabling the

An ancient Chinese proverb reminds us; "To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well." While everyone can benefit from this sage advice, these words of wisdom are particularly appropriate for professional salespeople. Would you consider yourself a good listener? Perhaps a more important question might be, how would your customers, business associates, friends and family members rate your listening ability? Their feedback just might surprise you, because most people believe they're much better listeners than they truly are.

This week’s headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS? include: Facebook case study; send up to five documents a month free with REALTOR Benefits® Program Partner, DocuSign®,;and register for a free safety webinar on social media and cyber safety. For more information visit www.REALTOR.org. ...

This week, Greg Rand (@gsrand), CEO of OwnAmerica and host of “Rand on Real Estate” on 770 WABC, answers the main question that some listeners have: “Why is Greg so optimistic about the housing market?” Also a caller from Pennsyvania who is interested in short sales wants to know what are the drawbacks and advantages for a buyer of a short sale?