Industry Perspectives

  Homebuyers are hopeful to close on their new purchase. However, they end up getting derailed when they don’t have quite enough money for a down payment. Private mortgage insurance is a way to buy a home and not have to put quite as much money into the home initially. Typically, lenders require 20% of the purchase price to be paid in order to obtain a loan. Private Mortgage Insurance enables homebuyers to make their dream purchase without having as large of a down payment. Mortgage Insurance Benefits Most people consider mortgage insurance as a lender benefit. However, this insurance

  If you’ve decided to take the leap into homeownership then you are in for an exciting time! Now that you are officially looking to buy, there are some things to consider. Buying a home is a big decision and it’s often the largest bill you pay each month. This type of decision should not be taken lightly. Consider these Questions How far is your drive to work? Can you afford the price? What types of schools are in the area? Is the home close to shopping and other conveniences? If the answers are in line with the goals you

  By: Jen Ross At HomeSmart, when we talk to prospective agents or franchise owners, we’re met with questions like: How is that possible? What’s the catch? We get a lot of resistance because people don’t understand how we can do what we do and provide such great value at such a low cost. So, we want to share some stories from agents who’ve made the smart move and as a result, have taken their saved commissions and reinvested them in order to grow their business and enrich their lives. M. Joan Martin is a REALTORⓇ with the HomeSmart Professionals

  By: Todd Sumney During the lifetime of your real estate career, you may experience a lull in business. This can happen to any agent, full-time or part-time, and can occur when you least expect it. But, this dreaded roller-coaster effect doesn’t have to happen. With the right approach to marketing, you can reignite your client base and smooth out the road for the year ahead! Here are my top three marketing rules with action items to put the spark back in your business: #1: Make The Right Impression- Quick! You have three seconds to make the right first impression.

  By: Shannon Daniele, HomeSmart Realty Group Broker/Owner My brokerage, HomeSmart Realty Group in Signal Hill, California, went from two to 94 agents in three years. HomeSmart’s competitive advantage of being a high-value, high-service brokerage, allows our agents to take the lead in our local area as true experts. When agents join our firm, they’re blown away by our business model and the fact that we give them everything they need to succeed. It’s not hard to grow when you have all of this. I spoke to RISMedia about how we’ve managed to grow our agent count dramatically in the

  By: Rob Foglio and Bill Kratz, HomeSmart Realty Advisors Co-owners/Brokers The real estate market is flooded with competing brokerage models vying for agents’ attention. It’s up to the brokers to be able to stay ahead of the competition and set themselves apart by learning what’s important to agents and capitalizing on the best opportunities to capture their eye. Our brokerage, HomeSmart Realty Advisors in Philadelphia, went from zero to 62 agents in five months. Supplementary to the support HomeSmart provides through tools, technology and centralized services, we’re sharing our top five tips to help you recruit to your brokerage.

  How HomeSmart Is Positioning Itself to Be the Ideal Brokerage That’s Real The real estate industry is constantly evolving as more vendors come into play, promising quick and painless transactions without the need for an agent. These disruptors’ claim to fame is their “modern” practice of severing the agent/consumer relationship, but that is not what brokers, agents and consumers want. They desire a modern experience with time- and cost-cutting efficiency and to know that help and support is never more than a text, call or click away. HomeSmart says the search for the ideal brokerage—that’s real—can be called off.

  By: Tori Rosenblum At HomeSmart, when we talk to prospective agents or franchise owners, we’re met with questions like: How is that possible? What’s the catch? We get a lot of resistance because people don’t understand how we can do what we do and provide such great value at such a low cost. So, we want to share some stories from agents who’ve made the smart move and as a result, have taken their saved commissions and reinvested them in order to grow their business and enrich their lives. John Douglas, a HomeSmart Realty Group agent from Denver, Colorado,

  HomeSmart Founder & CEO Matt Widdows speaks to the importance of consistency in the real estate industry in a RISMedia commentary. Read the full article below. By: Matt Widdows Long-standing national and global real estate brands have done a good job of making their logos instantly recognizable to consumers from one city to the next. However, while the brand might be unified visually, the customer experience is often disjointed and inconsistent. This inconsistency primarily results from individual brokerage operations working off of ad hoc technology that doesn’t unify the broker, agent and consumer experience into a single system. Without