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 Big gain in pending home sales index
 Improvement is projected for existing-home sales in the months ahead, with broader gains seen by the fourth quarter as buyers take advantage of new provisions provided through the recently passed housing stimulus bill, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of REALTORS.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in June, rose to 89.0 from a downwardly revised reading of 84.5 in May, but remains 12.3 percent below June 2007 when it stood at 101.4. Read more...
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Consumers pleased with real estate agent, study finds
 A survey published in the September issue of Consumer Reports shows that most consumers are pleased with the services of their real estate practitioner. The survey of 9,141 readers who bought or sold a home (or tried to) found that 71 percent were very or completely satisfied with their practitioner, while only 12 percent said they were dissatisfied.
Practitioners with most of the larger real-estate chains and independent brokers earned reader scores of 79 or higher, which indicated that respondents found these professionals provide "very satisfying" service.
Eighty-six percent of those surveyed who put their homes on the market made a sale; only 8 percent of would-be sellers eventually gave up and took their homes off the market. (The rest were still trying to sell when the survey was completed.) Read more survey results...
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To increase sales, find the silver lining
As the crooner Bing Crosby once sang, "Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. Don't mess with Mister In-Between."
If you're trying to sell a house, truer words were never spoken. The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents has compiled some of the descriptions that emphasize the affirmative in a booklet.
Here are a few of the most memorable ones:
Cozy bedroom. Room for a twin bed and one very small dresser
Damp basement. Three feet of water rushing across the floor
Easy access to everywhere. Backing up to an expressway
Galley kitchen. A hallway with cupboards
Gorgeous home with great potential. Refers to the crack through the middle of the foundation
Grandma's house. Hasn't been improved since she moved in and it still smells like her
Light, airy basement. You can see daylight through the cracks in the foundation
Low-maintenance front yard. Paved over with concrete
Move-in ready. Vacant
Period home. Kitchen in the basement
Quaint cottage. Frame house from the '50s smaller than 600 square feet
Retro decor. Original avocado appliances and paisley vinyl floors
Source: National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (08/01/2008).
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Get more out of your marketing efforts
 In just seven months, real estate marketing coach Jennifer Cummings helped Christina Martinez, the highest-producing real estate agent in the country, boost her commissions to $7 million from $4 million.
Cummings says the secret to success is for agents to move from "advertising," or generating attention and promoting images or brands, to "marketing," which involves motivating someone to make a purchase. She recommends that agents discover the prospect's needs, build trust and lead them to the point where they are ready to make a commitment.
Cummings also urges agents to market to a specific group, determine whether they will use the Internet or print as their medium of choice and figure out what message they want to send, then identify the needs and wants of their target audience.
Additionally, practitioners should create a hook to grab the reader's attention, such as "Save up to $100,000 on Your Next Mortgage!," and ensure that their marketing materials are written in a conversational tone.
They should employ bullet points, headlines and subheads to make their content easy to read and provide a way for prospects to contact them to receive special reports or checklists.
Source: Inman News, Bernice Ross (08/01/08).
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Commercial REALTORS asked to participate in survey
NAR would like your input on commercial real estate research topics. In today's business environment, NAR must leverage information and stay connected to emerging trends, new developments and research. Based on discussions at the 2008 Mid-year Meeting, NAR has selected several research topics that are both current and important.
Based on your selections, the Commercial Research Subcommittee will determine research priorities and will seek research funding.
Survey ends on Aug. 15, 2008. Once the survey is launched, select the topic of most importance to you. Your participation is appreciated, and will help guide your association's research initiatives. Your responses will remain completely confidential. Take survey...
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More on the Housing & Economic Recovery Act
NAR's housing bill victory is the culmination of years of intense lobbying efforts. Long before the collapse of the subprime mortgage market and the resultant market instability, NAR had been advocating for the housing reform measures contained in H.R. 3221, the "Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008."
Read more on the key provisions and its affect on REALTORS...
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Is the housing crisis really a 'crisis'?
Dennis Kneale's commentary on CNBC's Parting Shot on June 27, 2008 tried to put some perspective on the reality of the housing crisis compared to the way the news media likes to glamorize doom and gloom. If you didn't see it, it's interesting and may give you some positive scripts to use with your clients and customers. Watch the video...
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Young Professionals Forum created
 OAR has created a Young Professionals group within the Association's forum structure thanks to the efforts of the Generational Diversity Task Force. A "Young Professionals Forum" will be held during the upcoming OAR Convention & Expo, Sept. 14-17, in Columbus, to explain the purpose of the new group and to generate interest among those members who would benefit from the group's activities.
The forum will feature a panel of young members. It has been scheduled for Monday, Sept. 15, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. It will be open to all interested members, staff and affiliates. Executive Officers and incoming Board Presidents are invited to attend.
It is hoped that the forum will create sufficient enthusiasm among attendees so that efforts will be undertaken to establish Young Professionals groups at the local level throughout the state. Register for the upcoming OAR Convention.
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OAR Legislative Conference date change for 2009
 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! The 2009 Legislative Conference had to be rescheduled to: March 3-4, 2009. The Conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel and the cocktail reception will be held in the State House Atrium.
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Open house tips for changing times
There was a time when you just had to hold an open house and the buyers would show up.
Then, agents started enticing the prospects by offering refreshments. Bottles of water are greatly appreciated and may cause your visitors to stay and talk a little longer than normal. This can give you an opportunity to find out what they're looking for and establish a bond.
Times change and sometimes, we need to try new things. Joe Pryor of Edmond, OK is distributing $5.00 gas cards to people who attend his open houses during certain hours and register with contact information including e-mail addresses.
If you're new to the business, maybe no one has told you this yet: you hold a house open to meet prospects, not necessarily sell the home. Pat Zaby provides some procedures that can help you regardless of experience level. Read more...
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Save with OAR and NAR
 Your membership in the Ohio Association of REALTORS allows you to take advantage of a number of member benefits. For questions about member offers and benefits contact Greg Stitz at stitz@ohiorealtors.org.
In addition, the National Association of REALTORS also provides its members many more benefits and offers.
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Tech Tips
Change the image of a toolbar in Word...There are many different ways that you can customize the toolbars in Word to meet your own needs and preferences. You can even go so far as to customize the image of a button on a toolbar. For example, if you add a custom macro to a toolbar, you can customize the button for the macro so a graphic appears instead of the macro name.
 To customize the image of a toolbar button:
1. Right click a visible toolbar in Word.
2. Click Customize. Verify that the Toolbars tab is active.
3. Right-click on the toolbar button you want to modify.
4. Click Change Button Image from the context menu.
5. Click on the graphic image you want to use. The image appears on the toolbar button.
6. Click on Close.
Tell your friends all about it...By adding our unique Tell a Friend button on your Web site, your visitors can automatically e-mail their friends about your site whenever they find something they would like to share. And it's FREE. http://www.freetellafriend.com/
Just clip it...Instead of linking to entire Web pages, Clipmarks lets you clip exactly what you want others to see. Their browser add-on lets you save and share what you're reading on the Web with greater precision than is possible with links. http://clipmarks.com/
Don't forget OAR's free Tech Hotline service...
866.478.TECH (8324) New EXPANDED hours of operation: M-F: 8 am - 8 pm ... S-S: 10 am - 4pm
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Education
10-Hour Post Licensure for Salespeople...
This 10-hour course, to be held on Aug. 26-27, in Columbus, is required for all new sales licensees who are within the first 12 months of being licensed. Register today...
30 hours online...Take your real estate continuing education hours online. You can take 3, 6 or all 30 hours in any combination...Sign-up today...
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