Top Producing Offices - 2nd Quarter 2014

Here are the overall Top Ten and Top Ten for Small Market Areas for the 2nd Quarter of 2014. 

Ranking based on the number of closings per month.   

Top Ten Assist-2-Sell Offices for 2nd Quarter 2014

1 Lewiston, ID - Lee

2 Springfield, MO-Serrano

3 Idaho Falls, ID- Miller & Struchen

4 Crestview , FL- Mozina

5 Salt Lake City, UT- Lowe

6 Reading, PA - Kubovcsak

7 Northampton, PA - McCann & Tepes

8 Florence, SC -Yates

9 Mountain Home, ID- Beck

10 tie Rapid City, SD - Anderson

10 tie Weston, WI -Hall  

Top Ten Small Markets Assist-2-Sell Offices for 2nd Quarter 2014

1 Lewiston, ID -Lee

2 Florence, SC - Yates

3 Mountain Home, ID - Beck

4 Weston, WI - Hall

5 Evergreen , CO - Fleming & Haffman

6 Hudsonville, MI - Yntema

7 Beckley, WV - Lanchester

8 Alamogordo, NM - Deeds & Mims

9 Sparta, WI - Pendleton

10 Washington, MO - Haas & Harris

Free The Info And The Rest Will Follow

Freedom of (real estate) information, act

Traditionally, many car dealerships are based on a simple idea: they know more about cars and pricing and profit than the customer does.

By leveraging the information advantage, they can sell cars at a higher markup, upsell add ons, etc.

But what happens when the customers know more than they do, when potential customers know about every option, the inventory at every dealer, etc?

This is going to happen to every business, every sector, every level. When information is set free, does it help you or hurt you?

If it's not helping you, this is a good time to change your model.

Read the original here. 

Does real estate information being set free help or hurt the industry?  Better yet, does it help or hurt your business/model? 

We embrace the idea of setting information free and having a more informed and educated consumer. 

Franchisee Spotlight - Meet Don and Janice Ruizzo

In this edition of Franchisee Spotlight, we would like to introduce you to returning members of the Assist2Sell family. Meet Don and Janice Ruizzo from St. Cloud, FL.

Q. How long have you been in the real estate business? 

A. Janice and I have both been in real estate since 1999.

Q. How did you get your start in Real Estate?  

A. A friend of ours wanted to go to real estate school and talked us into going with her.

Q. What do you enjoy most about the real estate business?

A. The happy faces at the closing table.

Q. Why Assist 2 Sell?                                                                 

A. We were franchise owners a while back and we got in because we liked the business model and it is the same reason we came back.

Q. One unique thing about you someone wouldn't learn until they got you know you.  

A. I used to be a hippie.

Q. Where would you build your dream home, and why?

A. In Key West and just because.

Q. The most valuable piece of real estate advice you received?  

A. Always be honest and you will never get in trouble.

If you would like to welcome Don and Janice to the team, they can be reached via email at - Don: DonRuizzo@Assist2Sell.com Janice: JaniceRuizzo@Assist2Sell.com. You can also visit their website. www.WeSellOsceola.com

Will The Combination Of Zillow and Trulia Put Pressure On Commissions?

Below is a video from Bloomberg with guest Barbara Corcoran. Listen to the hosts and their questions. 

"anyone that's but an apartment or a house come to resent painting 5 or 6% commission"

"so why don't we see more real estate agents offering lower commissions?"

"the broker offers you less value, there is less of a value proposition" 

Some intereting questions. If these hosts have these questions I have to assume other consumers to as well.  

As far as the responses from Barbara... well let's just say we would them interesting. 

For Sale By Owners (FSBO's) Love Assist2Sell

People try to sell their home on their own for one reason,  saving money. I have never talked to a seller that likes taking all the phone calls, showing their home , figuring out the right price, trying to stumble through the paperwork process, etc.  Saving thousands is a strong motivator. 

We find For Sale By Owners love the Assist2Sell "Full Service with $avings" marketing program. Sellers get the best of both worlds.  Incredible service and results with thousands in savings. 

More Rankings...

Assist2Sell Joins Zillow Pro For Brokers

Assist2Sell's network of franchise offices are now part of the Zillow Pro for brokers program.  Z Pro is a five-point program that will improve listings accuracy, benefiting brokers, agents and consumers, and provide greater visibility for listing agents. zPro for Brokers will position listing agents first in the Agent List shown next to for-sale listings, answering a frequent broker request. 

zPro for Brokers delivers:

• Listing Agent Visibility: Listing agent prominently positioned at the top of the page (1st in the agent list) and clearly marked as the listing agent with photo and link to profile on both web and mobile (photo must be added to the feed). 
• Broker Reporting: Weekly detailed reporting including searches, number of views of home details pages (HDP), leads and lead open rate (for individual listings and the full brokerage feed).
• Broker trumps other sources:  The Broker feed will trump other sources of data making it the definitive source (must be MLS-sourced data).
• Lead follow up system: Agents at zPro brokerages receive contact notifications through email with follow-up reminders via text message and phone, driving higher engagement.
• Broker Directs Contact Destinations: zPro brokers choose to send contacts directly to listing agents or to their corporate customer relationship managements systems.

Assist2Sell Joins Trulia.com Broker Program

We are proud to announce Assist2Sell has joined the Trulia Broker Program , dedicated to helping brokerages extend their reach and build their business.

As a part of the Trulia Broker Program, Assist2Sell franchise brokerages receive the following benefits:

• Unlimited photos and property descriptions
  • Enhance your listings with rich property data. Unlimited photos, open house information and an unrestricted property description help you attract the attention of serious home buyers.

• Prominent attribution
  • Broker and agent information is prominently displayed on your listings to highlight your brokerage and your agents.
• Free exposure on web and top-rated mobile apps
  • Reach Trulia’s audience of 24 million unique monthly visitors on web and on Trulia’s top-rated mobile apps.
• Trulia Lead Generation
  • With Trulia Lead Generation, your agents will receive leads from transaction-ready buyers and sellers searching in your market.
• Weekly lead reports
  • Measure your success with weekly lead reports to help you and your agents track listing performance.

We are committed to provding our franchisees, brokers, and agents the very best tools for their real estate business.  In addtion, we are dedicated to getting the best marekting and exposure for our home seller clients and providing home buyers with the best quality information.