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WESTWORDS SEPTEMBER 2021

I AM

I AM LORI PRYOR I AM HONEST I AM KNOWLEDGEABLE I AM DETAIL-ORIENTED I AM HELPFUL I AM GENUINE I AM WEST USA

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING We just bought our forever home! Lori has made the whole experience of first time home buying a positive, memorable one. It was fun and very stress free. She was attentive to my family's needs and wants when purchasing a home. She was available to us anytime through phone, texts, and email with practically no wait time. Lori helped us pick the home for us with no pressure. I truly appreciate the level of professionalism and quality Lori represents. I recommended her to my friends, family... everyone. Thank you for caring! I have bought and sold homes in the past using different REALTORS® but I must say, Lori Pryor is the best of the best! Her professionalism far exceeded my expectations. She is completely devoted to making the home buying experience a smooth and seamless process for her clients. Also worth mentioning, Lori works with an outstanding team of professionals in regards to lending, title and escrow and even referred me to an excellent home inspector. This last home purchase has been my best experience to date and I would definitely recommend Lori to anyone looking for a realtor. She is amazing. Where do I even begin? My husband and I have moved several times throughout our marriage and Lori by far is the best realtor we have had the pleasure working with. Lori is knowledgeable, personable, endlessly patient and incredibly generous with her time (including mornings, evenings & weekends). Lori was extremely sincere & helpful from beginning to end. Buying a home in this market is challenging, but working with Lori made it painless. With Lori having so many clients at hand, we were amazed by how she was still able to respond to all our emails, texts and phone calls in a very timely manner. With the accuracy of her responses and the knowledge she has to offer, it made the whole home buying process enjoyable. Lori goes above and beyond. We highly recommend her.

BROKER BLOG WITH BOB STEPHENS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF On July 4th, the last scenes from THE MUSIC MAN came on TV as they were apprehending Prof. Harold Hill, put him in handcuffs and took him to the City Hall, where everyone was talking about getting their money back from him—he had sold them band instruments and uniforms for their kids, even though they did not know how to play them. BUT, he did teach them how to play them by using the THINK SYSTEM. But of course, that won’t work, or will it? So here comes the kids in uniform with their instruments. The professor was told, by the Mayor, that they should tar and feather him and send him out of the town. BUT, he was given a baton and told to lead the band so they could prove he was a fraud! So, he told the kids to use the THINK SYSTEM and play. They believe him and started to play (not too well) and the parents one by one began to exclaim, that is my boy and he is playing, which was repeated by a lot of the parents, who now believe in Harold Hill and stand up in approval—even the Mayor’s wife! MAGICALLY, they all start out of the hall playing perfectly and the band tripled in size marching down the street. It is very inspirational and may bring tears to your eyes. AND, I suppose he married Marian, the librarian! This all happened in River City, Iowa, that had trouble in River City called a “POOL HALL”. I have read many stories of believing in yourself and mention it often in Facebook. I remember a post I made several years ago and spoke of the 100 BELIEVE PINS that I bought and gave them to real estate agents as I taught them: and as they

reached a certain level, I would give them a BELIEVE pin. I also gave them a WHATABURGER NICKEL coffee cup and bought enough to give everyone one of these. I used the story of MEL TILLIS and his stuttering speech impediment that he worked on all his life but only found one cure for it and it was temporary. It was called SINGING! He became a top country star and is wonderful to listen to. He also was selected to do the commercials to sell Whataburgers and of course the nickel refill for your coffee which is stated right on the coffee cup. MEL TILLIS was a man that believed in himself as did many others. (I still have several of these cups and buy them in antique stores when I find them) and of course MEL TILLIS records. In writing about belief in yourself, I have said many other things, among them that adversity, could help you become a success. Harvey Mackay reported this concept in todays HARVEY column. I also asked about adversity in item 24 of “Marketing Yourself with “TOUGH LOVE” that I wrote many years ago and now make it available to you upon request. Years before this I had written to my BELIEVE agents to prepare adequately enough for life disturbing failures such as losing all that one has gained. Learn everything you can, so that you are able to go into the world broke and naked, but prepared to make a comeback that sends you beyond your previous successes.

You just need to believe it!

QUESTIONS, CONTACT: Managing Broker, Bob Stephens 602-942-4200

HOW TO CHOOSE

A REAL ESTATE CRM FOR YOUR BUSINESS BY WISE AGENT The real estate industry is overflowing with businesses of all sizes, so choosing the right CRM can be difficult. However, there are various real estate CRMs that can successfully help your business generate more leads and more significant revenue. With all the varying options on the market, how do you choose the right CRM for your real estate business that meets your needs? Well, here are a few tips that will hopefully help you out. Identify your Needs To find the right CRM for your real estate business, you should identify your needs. Take a look at the daily activities of your business and sales processes to help narrow things down. Listing out the problems within your business will help determine which real estate CRM features are helpful to overcome those troubles. Also, communicate with all team members about their experiences to understand how a CRM will help benefit their work efficiency and help improve sales. CRMs are an excellent way to help grow your business, but you need to have a clear vision of your business goals before making that decision.

multiple systems, look for CRMs that are “All-in-One.” It’s always better to have direct integrations that can link within your CRM vs. adding a 3rd party, which can cost you more money. Speaking of money, it would be helpful if you decided how much you are willing to spend on a CRM each month. Be mindful of added costs for certain features or additional integrations. Some CRMs might have hidden fees that they don’t mention upfront. Time for a Test Drive Regardless of pricing, do a test run. Schedule a demo so you can test run the features the CRM provides. Get your questions answered and make sure you feel comfortable using the software. This allows you to determine if the CRM fits the goals and needs of your real estate business. Once you’ve narrowed down what features you need, you’ll have a clear idea of what CRM you’ll use for your business.

User Friendly Once you find a real estate CRM system that meets your requirements, make sure it’s easy to use. You and your team There Isn’t One Real Estate CRM That Works For Every Business need to feel comfortable and confident when using a CRM. Stop playing follow-the-leader! Copying what others are doing Otherwise, sales will fall through. is one major mistake businesses make when making decisions. Also, you don’t want to waste too much time and money on As we established earlier, your needs could be very different training. It should be a tool that helps your CRM team hit the from those of another real estate business. Just because ground running. someone else has found their ideal CRM doesn’t mean it’s going Finally, be sure to choose a real estate CRM that has customer to work for you. service available so you can get the support you need when So, take the time to do some research and compare systems you need it. that match your needs. Start making a list of requirements and There you have it– a few essential tips to make your CRM system go from there. Explore your options and make sure you do what hunt easier. A great place to start your search is by looking at is best for you and your business. Wise Agent. Wise Agent’s CRM is an all-in-one system that Check CRM Features, Tools, and Pricing helps real estate agents automate and streamline their business When choosing a real estate CRM, consider the available and convert more leads. features that they offer. A CRM software should include contact Visit us at www.wiseagent.com to start your FREE 14-day trial! and lead management, marketing automation tools, and sales Or call one of our support team members at 480-836-0345. activities for tracking analytics. Some CRM systems specialize in sales and marketing tools, while others offer a bit of everything. Rather than working with

MAKING GOOD DECISIONS SHOULD I SUGGEST AN INSPECTION FOR MY CLIENT'S NEW BUILD CONSTRUCTION?

BY DOMINICK SANTALUCIA

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that communication is key. Here on the Santalucia Team our main focus is the experience for your client. We cannot stress enough how important it is for them to ask us questions; there are no questions that are too big or too small. Whether you have a client that is ready to buy now or in six months, we will always be open for questions, second opinions, and guidance to help get your client ready and feel comfortable. We have seen a few questions come up over and over these last few months as we talk with our clients and agents. Here are three common questions and answers: 1. How soon can you close? • This is a very common question… we can close in as little as 10 days; 21-30 is the most preferred as there is less stress for all parties involved. 2. How are appraisals coming in? As in, are they coming in at sales price or are we seeing a lot of issues? • We personally see over 90% of appraisals come in at or above the sales price. There will be appraisals that come in below the sales price, especially in such a competitive market. The good news is that most agents know when there will be an issue and the agents and have been able to come to terms in almost all cases. • Another perk about working with Fairway is that we own our own AMC. We still abide by the home valuation code of conduct, but this gives us full control over the panel of appraisers that we have. This allows us

to eliminate appraisers that do not put the time and research in that is required in this market. This also allows us to also keep our turn times to an average of 5 business days. 3. Do you have to put 20% down if you have a Conventional loan? • NO! This question gets asked a lot and our clients are always so surprised with the answer! The simple answer is as little as ZERO. We have many conventional down payment assistance programs that require zero down and we have a traditional conventional loan where the client can put as little as 3% down if they are a first-time home buyer! Buying a home is one of the three most stressful things someone will do in their lives so making sure they are educated and get a quick response is our top priority. We focus on excellent and clear communication to alleviate as much of that stress that we can. Monthly Tip: Prequalification’s and credit check’s last 120 days. If you have a client that is looking to buy in March or April, now is the time for them to put in an application and for you/us to start preparing and educating them! Nothing is worse than waiting to the last minute to apply right when you are ready to start your home buying journey (which is the fun part) to find out you have an issue that needs to be dealt with and may take 30-90 days to fix. In many cases, this may turn a prospective buyer off where they end of renting for another year. Educating and preparing our clients early enough in the game makes us all more successful and look good.

WHY MOST AGENTS DON'T MAKE IT IN REAL ESTATE WITH TODD MENARD

What is the number one reason agents don’t stay in real estate? A: They are not closing enough real estate to have the income they need. Income may cause the tipping point however the underlying issue is that agents don’t like finding their next client. Why? Let’s dive into a couple of Myths as to why agents believe they can’t make it. TOO MUCH COMPETITION I continue to hear that it is more difficult to find clients today than years ago purportedly because there are so many licensees in the business today. This is absolutely not true! In 1992, there were approx. 1.2 million citizens in AZ and approx. 37,500 active licensees. Today, there are 7.1 million Arizonans and 62,540 active licensees. That’s 53 licensees per Arizonan in 1992, and 113 licensees per Arizonan today. It’s almost twice as many consumers per agent today! Add technology into the equation, and the outcome is that it is easier to communicate and identify a person interested in real estate than 30 years ago. OVER COMPLICATING THE JOB The art of selling is all about winning friends and influencing people. Most training today is for CE only, or technology. There are very few sales training classes being offered. This job is all about creating relationships with people, yet there is no sales training! Weird. I recommend the following two books: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie; and the 7-Levels of Communication by Michael Maher. Your success is all about the people you know already, and their perception of you and your real estate services. Lead Generation Techniques were designed as a supplement to working on your sphere of influence. Knocking on doors and telephone prospecting to people you don’t know was created as a tactic to fill a void in one’s pipeline. If you needed to find and close a sale in 30-45 days you needed to find people who need to due business now. Great resources were door-knocking, cold-calling, even open houses, etc. These were never intended to be primary resources of new business. These activities have high burnout. However, the strongest real estate businesses are built on 100% referrals. IT’S ALL ABOUT “WHAT’S IN YOUR DATABASE” “Working your sphere of influence”, Who is helping you with that? Ask yourself the following questions: Would the people in your db recognize you by your voice only? If someone else called them and asked who you were, how many would know who you are and identify your line of work? Although many new homeowners won’t buy another primary residence for many years, they may be interested in purchasing an investment property, AND, these contacts run into family, friends, acquaintances, or neighbors who are ready to do business today. COACHING/MENTORING/TEAMS COST TOO MUCH! The cost of not getting into coaching, mentorship, or joining a team can cost you thousands of dollars in lost income. There are those who want to join a team to learn quickly, then break off and start their own

self-sufficient lead generation machine (High “D” and High “I”); and then there are others who don’t want to learn to do it themselves (High “S” and High “C”) simply desire for the comradery of a mentor or a team environment. As long as the system is providing them with a leads, they will remain on the team indefinitely. Either of these is acceptable, the objective is to identify under which concept can you personally thrive? Of course, any person with any behavioral assessment can be successful. NOT KNOWING THE MARKET Stop listening to national sensationalism and learn your hyper-market. The price of homes is increasing between 8-15% depending on the location. This is way North of the 4.5% average home appreciation recorded over the many decades. Although prices are increasing, we are not in a boom market. The historic 30-yr commodity cycle finally exposed itself causing increased construction material costs to build a similar like home in a similar area. We saw this in retrospect when our grandparents told us they paid $36,000 for a 3-bedroom home, our parents told us they paid $165,000 for the exact same home (new or resale), and now we are paying $365,000. Housing is more affordable today than 30 years ago. In 1992, the housing affordability index indicated that it took 42% of your monthly income to afford a home, and today that number is only 39%. Meaning it takes less of our income to own a home. Interest rates are still hovering near 3.125% with reasonable loan costs. There is plenty of inventory and a reasonable selection. There are fewer bidding wars. We are selling over 50% more inventory than any other market in AZ history. Tell Clients not to wait to buy, buy now! There is no recession on the horizon, there is no shadow foreclosure inventory looming (the average default rate is still within a normal range at 7.5%), home sales prices are not expected to decline, interest rates are anticipated to increase. This simply means homes will cost more of your income the longer you wait. Todd C Menard, COO West USA Realty, Inc.

AUGUST MARKET STATS

Christmas Party Partnered with West USA Cares Annual Casino Night

TICKETS ON SALE

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M O N DAY

T U E S DAY

W E D N E S DAY

01 FREE REMOTE CE CLASS Master the AAR Listing Contract (3Hrs Contract Law) 9:00am - 12:00pm / Zoom

SEPTEMBER 2021 T H U R S DAY

Maximizing Your Social Media Presence with Instagram Reels w/ Keith Flynn 10:00am - 11:30am - Webinar

F R I DAY

Team Leaders Monthly Mastermind 11:00am - 12:00pm @ West USA Chandler Office

ALL OFFICES CLOSED - Labor Day

West USA Weekly Webinar 9:00am - 10:00am / Webinar

West USA Agent Orientation 10:30am - 12:00pm / Webinar Don’t Do Dat w/Broker Bob Stephens 2:00pm - 2:30pm / Webinar

Prostart Training Session 1 9:00am - 4:00pm / Zoom

West USA Weekly Webinar 9:00am - 10:00am / Webinar

Broker Round Table w/ Kyle Fouts 10:00am - 11:00am / Zoom

For the Love of Lending 10:00am - 11:00am @ TBD

Maximizing Your Social Media Presence with Facebook Business Suite w/ Keith Flynn 10:00am - 11:30am @ Mesa Office

Prostart Training Session 1 9:00am - 4:00pm / Zoom

Broker Round Table w/ Susan Herber 10:00am - 11:00am / Zoom

FREE REMOTE CE CLASS Disclosure and the Law 3Hrs Disclosure Law 9:00am - 12:00pm / Zoom

FREE REMOTE CE CLASS To Be or Not to Be Paid, That is the Question, 3Hrs Contract Law 9:00am - 12:00pm / Zoom Chandler Office Meeting 10:00am - 11:30am @ Chandler Office ARMLS Training - Subscriptions & Portals 1:00pm - 2:00pm / Webinar West USA Realty Surprise Happy Hour 4:30pm - 6:30pm

FREE REMOTE CE CLASS High Fiduciary Representation 3Hrs Fair Housing Law 9:00am - 12:00pm / Zoom

Google My Business for REALTORS® w/ Keith Flynn 10:00am - 11:00am / Webinar

Let’s Get Creative with Canva w/ Keith Flynn 10:00am - 11:30am / Webinar

Facebook LIVE Virtual Home Tours w/ Keith Flynn 10:00am - 11:30pm

Kierland Office Meeting 10:00am - 11:00am @ Kierland Training Room

Mesa Office Meeting 10:00am - 11:00am @ Mesa Office

Prostart Training Session 1 9:00am - 4:00pm / Zoom

Don’t Do Dat w/Broker Bob Stephens 2:00pm - 2:30pm / Webinar

Prostart Training Session 2 9:00am - 4:00pm / Zoom

West USA Weekly Webinar 9:00am - 10:00am / Webinar

Surprise Office Meeting 10:00am - 11:00 @ Surprise Office

**FREE REMOTE CE CLASS** The NAR Code and the AZ Law 3Hrs RE Legal Issues 9:00am - 12:00pm / Zoom

Don’t Do Dat w/Broker Bob Stephens 2:00pm - 2:30pm / Webinar

• CE- Continuing Education Renewal Training • Luxury Division Event

• Commercial Division Event • Office Meetings