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Tag: digital real estate

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Realtor

Real Estate Branding: 5 Easy Ways for Realtors to Build a Personal Brand

5 ways for realtors to build a personal brand

Does it seem like every other realtor you know has a strong personal brand, but yours is, well, lacking? The truth is, building a strong personal brand can be tough. And that’s especially true in a crowded and competitive field like real estate. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Real estate branding can be done with a lot less effort than you might think, and today we’re going to tell you how.

And we won’t share just any ways to build your personal brand. We’re going to share the easiest, most efficient real estate branding strategies to help you make your mark as quickly as possible.

Real Estate Branding: Easy Ways for Realtors to Build a Personal Brand

Get clear about what that brand is

Before you can start making other people aware of your brand and your services, you need to be clear on them first!

Believe it or not, you already have a brand, along with a mission and values that drive your business. What’s next, however, is getting really clear about what that means, so you’re able to use it to your marketing advantage. 

Start by creating a list of your values and your vision. Then, as you work on building your brand, you can use this list to guide you in the best direction for your business.

(Of course, branding isn’t everything. Visit this post next for five tips to elevate client experience in real estate)

Get inspired by other real estate branding efforts

Take a look at what other real estate professionals are doing for their own real estate branding. You’re not doing this to copy them, however! Instead, draw inspiration from their branding efforts for your own unique twist on their tactics.

Build a website

If you’re part of a real estate group, you might think your headshot and listings on the group website are enough. But remember, we’re talking about building your personal brand here. That means you need to take steps to define yourself beyond that group. 

Start by creating a dedicated website just for your listings. Be sure to include a comprehensive biography, as well as professional pictures of yourself.

(Read more about growing your real estate empire in a digital world in this post)

Develop a social media presence

If you want to keep up with the competition, you need to establish a presence in as many places as possible. And yes—that means on social media! 

You can use social media to share your listings, of course. But this is also a great place to share more about you and what makes you tick. (Drawing on those values and your vision helps here too!) 

Sharing more about yourself and your life as a realtor in a professional manner goes a long way for your real estate branding efforts. It helps potential clients connect to you, relate to you, and it can be the thing that makes them choose you over another realtor.

(Don’t miss this post next: 11 Digital Marketing Tips for the Traditional Real Estate Agent)

Join Souqh

We can’t wrap this up without including the importance of joining Souqh to help with your real estate branding efforts. Souqh is your one-stop connection to leads, referrals, technology and digital marketing—and that includes adding your brand and product pages directly to our storefront.

This helps you make your mark on the industry, and it also makes it easier for potential home buyers to find you.

Not sure if this is right for you? We offer a free 30-day, no strings attached trial of all our premium features.

Contact one of our sales reps today and join our service provider network for real estate professionals.

 

Did you learn a lot about real estate branding in this post? Here are three more posts you can’t miss next:

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Home Buyers Service Providers

Hidden Costs Every Home Buyer Needs to Know About

Hidden Costs Every Home Buyer Needs to Know About

You’re all set to make an offer on a home you love…only to discover there are all kinds of hidden costs that weren’t included in the listing price. Understandably, these costs can be a dealbreaker for a home buyer. That’s why it’s important to prepare yourself for potential hidden costs when buying a home ahead of time.

Hidden Costs Every Home Buyer Needs to Know About

So, if you’re hoping to save yourself some nasty financial surprises down the road, don’t miss the rest of this post, where we break down some of the common (yet hidden) costs associated with home buying.

Home inspection fee

This isn’t necessarily a “hidden” fee, but it is one many new home buyers forget to factor in. 

Although a home inspection isn’t necessarily required, it’s almost always a good idea. During these inspections, a potential home buyer can find out about any potential issues that could cause them a major headache down the road. These inspections tend to cost between $300 and $1000. However, that’s a small investment compared to what it could cost you to unknowingly buy a home with, for example, faulty plumbing. 

(Home inspections are an important part of avoiding home buyer’s remorse. Read more about avoiding this feeling in this post)

Appraisal fees

Are you planning on getting a mortgage for your home? Most home buyers are. However, if you plan on going this route, there’s a particular fee worth noting that many people aren’t aware of. It’s known as the appraisal fee. 

Because the amount your lender is willing to give depends on the home’s appraised value, the home first needs to be appraised. So, this fee (typically between $275 and $500) covers that appraisal. 

Keep in mind, this fee isn’t a sure thing. Depending on arrangements between lenders, it’s often waived. Just be sure to find out ahead of time!

Land transfer tax

Are you a home buyer in Canada who doesn’t live in Alberta, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, or the Yukon? Then the land transfer tax is important to consider if you’re buying a home! The LTT (between 0.5% to 2.5% of the property value depending on your province) goes toward the province when you buy property. 

As this article from Rates.ca explains: 

“Many provinces use a multi-tiered system to calculate the amount of tax owed. On a $500,000 home in Ontario (but not Toronto), for example, 0.5% is paid on the first $55,000, 1% on the next $195,000, 1.5% on the next $150,000, and 2% on the amount above $400,000. That works out to $6,475.”

Insurance

You’re probably planning on buying home insurance (even if it isn’t necessarily required). Still, there are a few different types of insurance each home buyer needs to make a note of when they’re preparing themselves for hidden costs that could come up.

Here are some of the types of insurance worth looking into:

  • Title insurance
  • Mortgage default insurance
  • Mortgage life insurance

(Before you go, don’t miss this post with more tips for simplifying the home buying process)

What Else Should Every Home Buyer Know?

These are just some of the hidden costs every home buyer needs to be aware of. It’s incredibly important to do your research and work with a team you trust during the home buying process to keep surprises to a minimum.

But in addition to these hidden costs, what else should every buyer know? That Souqh.ca can help them ditch a lot of the stress that comes with home buying! From finding trusted service providers to streamlining documentation and simplifying communication, we’ve thought of it all. Click here to learn more about our unique platform and what it can do for you. 

Did you learn a lot about this post breaking down the hidden costs every home buyer needs to know? Here are three more posts to read next:

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Home Buyers Product Updates

How Home Buyers & Service Providers Can Simplify Their Home Buying Journey

How Home Buyers & Service Providers Can Simplify Their Home Buying Journey

Home buying is a notoriously difficult process. Or at least, it has been until now. Whether it’s dealing with paperwork, negotiations, scheduling showings, home staging, closing, or anything else that goes into the process, it simply isn’t always a walk in the park.

The same way home buyers rely on service providers to help them out. Homebuyers rely on skilled service providers to help make the experience as simple, straightforward, and stress-free as possible. But those same service providers rely on several tools to help them do their job. 

Working together, home buyers and service providers can create a simple process that results in a successful transaction and the client finding their dream home. While they work together, there are many tools and resources at their disposal to make the process as straightforward as possible. And today we’re going to tell you about them!

Not only will we discuss how Souqh is helping home buyers and service providers alike, but we will also share other important considerations to keep in mind throughout the home buying process.

How Home Buyers and Service Providers can Simplify their Home Buying Journey

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

How Souqh improves the home buying process for buyers

Let’s start by focusing on home buyers. How can Souqh make a notoriously tricky path much easier to navigate?

Well, we do this in a few ways: 

  • Connecting you with trusted service providers: There’s no need to worry about the right fit! Souqh helps you find trusted service providers from a pool of storefronts to match your unique needs. Further, you can read verified ratings and testimonials from home buyers just like you.
  • Streamlining home buying documents: These can be a major source of frustration for home buyers. But Souqh streamlines all your documents in a simple and secure portal, allowing you to create, share, e-sign and upload documents directly to service providers.
  • Simple communication: Tired of calling, texting and overflown inboxes with missed attachments? We get it! That’s why we simplify all communications with service providers, with easy access and interaction history right on our platform.
  • Impressive security: There’s no need to stress about the security of important documents if you plan to take the home buying process online. Our enterprise-grade cloud security, which runs on industry-leading Amazon cloud, protects your data using 256-bit SSL/TLS encryption.

And did we mention you can earn credits from taking the home buying process online with Souqh? It’s true! Every time you interact on Souqh or refer a service provider, you earn credits that can be used for future services. 

How Souqh improves the home buying process for service providers

Now you know what Souqh can do for home buyers, but what about service providers? Let’s cover that next. From realtors to mortgage brokers to property inspectors to contractors, lawyers, movers, and other industry professionals, Souqh simply makes the entire home buying process better by:

  • Generating leads: This is one of the most challenging parts of the job for many service providers. But now, Souqh makes lead generation a breeze. Service providers can find new clients by launching an online storefront within a few minutes. Then, customers can find their storefront, browse services, review ratings and connect within seconds.
  • Digital marketing: Today’s modern world means digital marketing is a must for successful service providers in the home buying or selling industry. With our platform, you can launch data-driven marketing campaigns that help you feature your storefront, enabling higher ROI on your marketing dollars. (Visit this post next to get some can’t-miss digital marketing and branding tips for realtors)
  • Customer management: We know you want to deliver incredible customer experiences. We help you do that by managing your customer-facing touchpoints – in one place. You can quickly invite customers, review complete customer profiles, manage documents, and engage with associated service providers.
  • eCommerce: We’ve got your payment processing concerns taken care of. Receive payments directly into your bank accounts using leading Stripe payments technology, right on our platform.

Important Considerations During the Home Buying Process

We’ve talked a lot about how our platform makes the home buying process better, but we’re not done yet. Now, let’s talk about some important considerations to keep in mind as you navigate this process for yourself. 

Managing expectations

Are you buying your first home? Or are you a service provider working with clients searching for their first home? Either way now is the time for managing expectations. 

As a home buyer, be sure to research what homes within your budget in your area look like and include. As for service providers, it’s helpful to manage your clients’ expectations from the get-go while also helping them narrow down their search right off the bat.

Know what you can afford

This point relates to managing considerations: get very clear about what you can afford before getting your heart set on a certain property. How do you do this? It starts with getting crystal clear about things like your debt to income ratio, job security, how much of a down payment you can afford, and mortgage pre-qualification or pre-approval.

Get the help you can trust

Last but not least: don’t rely on just anyone during the home buying process. The first realtor you find or the first mortgage rate you’re given isn’t necessarily the best. Do your research into your options! This is where reviews and ratings come in handy, like the ones you can find using Souqh. 

(Speaking of mortgages, here’s how brokers can stand out in a competitive field)

Don’t wait! Sign up for Souqh today for free. We designed this platform to make home buying a breeze, and we look forward to doing just that for you. 

Did you learn a lot from this post? Here are three more to read next: 

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Home Buyers

Homebuyer’s Remorse, How to Avoid It?

homebuyer remorse

Hindsight is 20/20. Always. Especially after signing that life-changing dotted line in homebuying.

Choosing the right property is a daunting task. It’s nothing like buying something you can return willy nilly. But just like any purchase, buyers’ remorse is also common in homebuying.

So you ask, “How to dodge it?” or lessen the chances of getting caught in the tangle of homebuyer’s remorse.

What is Homebuying Anxiety

Nothing like financial limitations to shower you with overwhelm and stress.

That’s how homebuyers’ remorse and anxiety usually starts. The complex nature of the process and the overwhelming expenditure is never a feeling to behold. But finding your best home is a dream, and having that balance between pursuing it and your wallet can whack your confidence.

Yes, you’ve done your due diligence with researching and all, but sometimes it’s not enough. If you’re feeling apprehensive, don’t worry, you’re not alone, and there are ways to avoid it. 

It might be your greatest challenge but unravelling the source of your anxieties is your best chance to avoid homebuyers remorse. 

Of course, sprinkle it with thorough research and these 6 tips that will fortify your confidence.

5 Essential Tips to Avoid Homebuyers Remorse

1. Stick to a realistic budget

The sight of your budget can make your heart lurch and twist.

Finding a home you unabashedly love but can’t afford will tempt you to assess your cash flow and see if adjustments are possible. There are taxes to be had, furniture, insurance, and renovations to foresee. Get all information you can get about the house you’re prospecting to purchase. From features to possible pitfalls, gather those data but stop at nitpicking

Don’t give in to temptation. If the budget is tight, perhaps make a list of possible expenses to keep your finances on the straight and narrow.

2. Create that vital wants/needs list

Your wants/needs list is your manifesto. 

Curate your list based on the features you direly need and those that you immensely like. Let your realtor know that you have this list that will help them filter your choices. Creating this list alongside your expenditure list will clarify and help you settle on the best option.

A great house may not have everything you want but should majorly have what you need.

3. Listen but filter other people’s opinion

Don’t let someone else rain on your parade.

It’s essential that you get feedback from friends and family but put a hold on how they affect your homebuying decisions. Make sure that you’re listening to reasonable voices and break away from what’s in your heart of hearts.

It’s you who will be residing there after all.

4. Work with knowledgeable and trustworthy service providers

Go for the best homebuying cavalry -the service providers who know what you need and are trustworthy.

Homebuying is stressful, but you don’t need to take on the world while navigating the process. Get a feel of how a realtor, mortgage broker, lawyer approach every step in your homebuying journey. One of the best ways to find them is by recommendation of someone you really know and aside from word-of-mouth, utilizing digital options can simplify the process of vetting the service providers you will be working with. 

This is exactly what Souqh.ca wants to address -how to make your home buying journey as easy as possible by providing a platform where you can look for every service provider you need.

6. Utilize the end-to-end digital services of Souqh.ca

Yes, Souqh.ca is a platform that could launch a thousand of your homebuying dreams.

Souqh.ca offers a one-stop-outlet for everything homebuying. Ditch the stress of looking everywhere and getting nowhere by tuning in to this digital guidance and access to the most trusted service providers and streamlined processes. From finding and connecting with the best service providers, Souqh.ca makes it easy for you to do your transactions and getting paperworks and compliance processes automated.

It’s still homebuying, only simplified by Souqh.ca.

Learn more by clicking here and JOIN Souqh.ca!

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Service Providers Spotlight

Dear General Contractor, It’s Time to Wake up & Go Digital

Homebuyer’s Remorse, How to Avoid It?

Fitting in is a failure, especially in a competitive market such as home improvement and real estate. For general contractors going digital, is a road they travel less because of “too much” newness and uncertainty, especially when the traditional ways, often manual approaches, are working fine for them. But are they? 

Here’s a secret from the digital side. Going digital can save you, dear general contractors, from a life of stifling and tight business workflow. 

Digitization is something you never knew you needed until it fed you with easy-breezy perks to connect with your biggest market.

Going digital is no longer an option but a necessity

The name of the game is lead generation.

In the post-pandemic time where mobility of people is more limited, where and how will you find your potential clients? They’re in the digital space, always looking for ways to utilize the sorcery that is technology. Think about your Amazon deliveries, Uber, and other online services that make you sigh of relief.

Digital transformation, in short, will keep you abreast of your clients’ nuances and needs. And since the economic environment is ever-changing based on technology and innovation, you and your business can understand emerging market demands. 

It’s not a matter of preference anymore. Diving into the digital realm is your business lifeline. 

4 Digital Tactics Your Business Will Benefit From

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Digitalization and digitization are your real estate must-haves. If you feel lost and unsure when it comes to this kind of innovation, then you’re reading the right piece. Here are four digital tactics that are the be-all and end-all for every general contractor’s post-Covid transformation.

1. Quality content is the digital king

Powerful content reigns supreme. 

What makes quality content is its usefulness and relevance. As a general contractor, you have a good idea of a homeowners’ frustrations and challenges. Think about the range of emotions evoked in a blog, a video, a meme, or a picture. What about renovating and repairing houses resonate with your existing and potential clients? Shed light on the struggles and wins in every stage of construction, give tips and hacks on selecting the best vendors and subcontractors. 

The more your content connects with your market, the better the recall and credibility rate you’ll gain.

2. Network to generate more work

Take our word for it. Social media is the goldmine of digital networking.

In scoring new clients and closing more deals, consider where everyone is connecting most. Strategize how you will approach every platform available. There is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Clubhouse and more. Each of these has a specific nuance. Some are image-centric, like Instagram and Pinterest, while Facebook fosters groups and pages. As for LinkedIn, it’s the best platform to connect while showing your digital resume.

Use social media features to get your maximum outreach as a general contractor, and remember, it’s all about socialization.

3. Automize as you mean it

You’re one automized workflow away from closing more deals.

Improving your business operations is inevitable if you want to thrive in the post-pandemic market. Make it your goal to reduce manual work and utilize tools and platforms to make your work more efficient. Explore ideas and avenues where you can streamline processes such as CRM, e-commerce, messaging, document management, audio/video support and digital marketing. 

It’s still the same general contractor operations, only simplified and significantly easy.

4. Join Souqh.ca

You’re apprehensive. The online world can get confusing, but it’s worth taking a chance at, just like every investment for a business.

Straight up, you’re a general contractor looking for the easiest way to get into the digitization of your business without going through unnecessary hoops. Have you ever imagined stress free end-to-end dealings with your clients and suppliers, in other words, a win-win deal? By going digital, this ease of running your business is possible. We call it the Souqh philosophy. 

The online world has many platforms which help contractors generate leads, but that’s where they stop. Just get the customer to the GC and charge them a lead/commission.

Souqh is different – it helps clients find them, connect with them and complete all the steps for their transaction on the platform while being a digital transformation partner for general contractors.

So yes, take the digital route and choose the right digitization partner that has everything you need under one roof, and that’s Souqh.ca.

Simplify and amplify your construction business with Souqh.ca.

Learn more by clicking here and JOIN Souqh.ca!