3 ways real estate agents can instantly increase their income

It’s that time of year again.

Every year it’s the same thing. The end of the year approaches, and brokers ask their agents to start thinking about next year, and they begin to encourage their agents to develop a business plan for next year. Were you happy with your work this year? Were you pleased with your closings? What will you do differently next year? These are the types of questions that you hear at the office meetings.

 

If you’ve been in real estate for any length of time, the preparation of the business plan and the encouragement to set goals is part of a cycle and the same questions arise about this time every year. The best agent I know believes that the only way to see loads of closings in January is to put loads of deals in your pipeline in September, October, and early November.
He believes that this will pump you up and get you motivated because you begin the year strong. Makes sense, right? If you start winding down around Thanksgiving, you may not have another closing until February. And, if you consider real estate your full time gig, it may be hard to make ends meet without those regular closings.

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3 Ways to Instantly Increase Your Income

If you are a residential specialist in your local area and you are looking to boost your income and your closings in 2014, there are many things that you could do to revise or adapt your current business model. Here are some things that you may want to add to your real estate bag of tricks:

1. Short Sales. If you are one of those people that hates the paperwork and the general dysfunction associated with working on a short sale, you may want to think again. According to RealtyTrac data, there are still 19 million borrowers that are underwater on their mortgages (25.3% of all homeowners with mortgages) that may need your help today. Consider marketing for short sale listings and co-listing with a short sale specialist.


2. Property Management. In the past six years, millions of homeowners have become renters. Consider the steady income associated with property management as a great way to pay the bills in good and bad economic times.


3. New Neighborhoods and Farm Areas. What’s the average sales price for your closings? Are there local neighborhoods that have a higher median sales price? Market in new areas where the median sales price is higher and you can increase (possibly making more money, while closing fewer transactions).

Of course, when considering ways to change your business plan, you have to give to get. If you expect to increase your income and your market share in 2014, you may need to spend time and money in order to get in front of the clients that you want. Don’t just sit around the office and wait for the phone to ring. With landlines becoming increasingly obsolete, there’s no excuse for sitting around anymore.

Credit to AG Beat

Homeowners benefit from tax credit for green remodeling projects

While uncertainty regarding the fiscal cliff may have had consumers concerned about the overall economy and how taxes would be affected, those who have purchased homes for sale in Los Angeles County and made eco friendly renovations could benefit from a tax credit that has been extended.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act pushed the $500 tax credit through the new year, so projects done in 2012 and in 2013 are eligible. The tax break itself , the non-business energy property tax credit, gives homeowners $500 off their taxes for making approved energy-efficient improvements. Some renovations include the installation of a new front door or other Energy Star labeled appliances and products.
Breaking down the credit, 10 percent of the cost of building materials, not including labor for insulation, windows and doors, greener roods, heat pumps, furnaces and corn-fueled stoves. In addition to savings when filing taxes, homeowners can expect to see reduced utility bills with these changes.

California home prices surge in April

Owners of Los Angeles real estate might have gained some equity in April, as home prices across California surged.

The median price for a home sold in the Golden State surpassed $400,000 for the first time in five years, rising from $378,960 to $402,760, according to the California Association of Realtors.
"The upsurge in the median price continues to be driven by an increase in sales in the upper- price range, where low inventory is less of an issue," said CAR vice president and chief economist Leslie Appleton-Young.

Prices have been on the rise in recent months, as buyer demand has far outpaced supply in the housing market. Part of the reason demand has been so high is the fact that mortgage rates have been near all-time lows.

However, mortgage rates jumped for the second consecutive week in mid-May, which could help ease demand a bit, but they are still well below averages seen a year ago at this time.
Fifteen-year fixed-rate mortgages rose to 2.69 percent in the week ending May 16, while 30-year loans hit 3.51 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

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