AGBeat Columnist: Matthew Rathbun
Matthew Rathbun is a Virginia Licensed Broker and Director of Professional Development for Coldwell Banker Elite, in Fredericksburg Virginia. He has opened and managed real estate firms, as well as coached and mentored agents and Brokers. As a Residential REALTOR®, Matthew was a high volume agent and past REALTOR® Rookie of the Year & Virginia Association Instructor of the Year. You can follow him on Twitter as "MattRathbun" and on Facebook. Matthew's blog is TheAgentTrainer.com.
The art of fairness versus representation in the practice of real estate
Recently I was speaking with a new Realtor (they’re so cute, when they’re little) and was discussing her exasperation with an agent who hadn’t yet sent a home inspection report, with an impending deadline looming. This Listing Agent mused that she needed to call the Buyer Agent and ask for the Home Inspection Report and addendum, before the expiration of ...
A Cautionary Tale of Visionaries, Influencers & the Community
The World Around Us As the twilight of the past decade draws upon us and gives way to the new; I’m giving a great deal of thought to the future. I’m putting the final touches to my business plan and researching what is working for those who have found success in our business. Strangely, this peering into the success of ...
We’re the Treasury- We’re Here To Help You With Short Sales (kinda)
Lani recently wrote a post referencing HAMP, and today I received some additional information that I thought would be nice to share with the class. Enter: The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program On November 30th a Supplemental Directive was published by the Treasury Department that created a program incentivizing Lenders (Servicers) and Borrowers. The Press Release does a good job ...
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Establishing a Vision for Your Online Engagement
Wondering From The Trail I’ve noticed an emerging trend in the past few months in the Real Estate Blog world. Bloggers in both single-author and multi-author environments have been expanding their topics from the initial visions they had. It’s frustrating for some readers to subscribe to a blog and then see the tone or writings change. I’m not saying that ...
Change Will Make You an Enemy of the Status Quo – Change Anyway
Hating the Tree This week I was delivering a lecture on Agency Law. For those who have read my posts before, you know that to say I’m not a fan of Dual Agency, is to put it mildly. My warnings against this type of practice are founded in the overwhelming evidence that it’s an open door to litigious pursuits, ...
A Word With the Brokers – Technology Policies and Monitoring Tips
Be Vigilant But Not Obsessive I have frequently taught classes on risk management and online marketing. Inevitably I have found some very disconcerting levels of knowledge in many Brokers regarding online techniques. With the increased use of Social Media, I’ve found that most brokers are becoming paralyzed with fear and lack of understanding. A result of these emotions has caused ...
Define for me if you will… “Raising the Bar”
Alienation or Amelioration? It’s been a catch phrase since my first day of licensing class… I remember distinctly the instructor saying, “We need to increase professionalism in this industry and good education is the key.” He then proceeded to ask each student to read a section of the proceeding chapters out loud. And that’s what we did for sixty hours. ...
Facebook Fan Pages – I Love Me, Will You Love Me Too?
Not All Buses Are Heading the Right Way I am typically a supporter of some of the innovative ways that folks want to promote themselves. Social Media is a great platform for innovative ideas and often some of those ideas have passed us by before we realized how successful they really were, but I don’t think this applies to Facebook ...
How Do You Define “Association Leadership”
Know Your Followers This is not an original thought, but for the first time in my life I am beginning to feel that my peers aren’t listening. The blogosphere and Realtors have been talking about the increasing divide between the generations. I’ve never really seen it – until now. I’ve always felt comfortable with the generations before me and indifferent ...
TweetDeck for Newbies
There are a lot of aggregators out there for Twitter. I’ve tried many of them and found that TweetDeck is my favorite. (I also happen to like UberTwitter for Blackberry) There are tons of likeable options, the ability to send a twit and update Facebook at the same time is pretty cool. I would caution folks however not to use ...
Is HUD Really Going To Do Tax Credit Bridge Loans?
Pam Kabati, VP and Editorial Director at NAR, Twittered that Realtor Magazine Online has a update on the HUD Bridge Loan Credit. Here is what Realtor Magazine Online, has to say: Buyer Tax Credit Loan Guidance Coming Soon Detailed guidance on the federal government’s plan to provide short-term loans to borrowers using the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit is expected to ...
Desktop Analytics – Polaris
Keeping Track I’m a big fan of keeping a pulse on the health of my blogs and sites. Polaris has released a desktop application that allows you to keep track of your Google Analytics, on your desktop. The free version only allows monitoring from one account, while the $15/year version will allow multiple accounts. The system features are very easy ...
Benn Rosales
Conal Campbell
Elijah May
Lani Rosales
Tara Steele
Marti Trewe
Charlene Jimenez