Jan 2010 26 IN THE LEAD………...……….1

INSIGHTS .............. ……..…..2

A JOURNEY OF CHANGE...…..3

Connection NEXUSKEEPING YOU ON THE CUTT ING EDGE OF THE

BUSINESS OF REAL ESTATE The future belongs to those who are positive, persistent and consistent. Be determined to be the best you can possibly be.

In the Lead! A message from Frank D’Angelo

MARKET WATCH

Dec. ‘09 Listings

3,919

One-Year Change:

- 17.4%

Dec. ‘09 Pendings

2,693

One-Year Change:

-0.8%

6.69 Homes on the Market Per BUYER (Jan ‘10)

Affordability Index:

208 (Jan. ‘10)

Wow, the first month of the New Year is already under our belt and there are less than 100 days remaining regarding the HOME BUYERS AND SELLERS TAX CREDIT. Wondering what percentage of agents have engaged, reminded and talked to their sphere about that looming deadline and the opportunity? One of the largest books of business left on the table last year with the previous Homebuyer tax credit was the de-lay in prospecting and/or notifying the con-sumers at large. I’m particularly excited about the three different MasterMind groups we’ve

launched in the New Year. One is focused on the hundreds of metro-wide seller leads and market-ing system our office is provid-ing with respect

to post sheriffs sale under bid equity leads. A second group is utilizing our RedX sys-tem that systematically and automatically farms motivated expired leads. I’m espe-cially grateful to Patti Ann and Sheldon for taking the lead on this project. Also, we have Donavon DesMarais heading our EOR project (End of Redemption) for Cash Inves-tors. Great saleable leads are becoming available all around the office for those who choose to participate. Finally, the 7 Non- MLS Databases have already generated several success stories. Great to hear what is working and it’s even greater when we tweak these programs at our Master Mind sessions. Everyone is welcome to attend our morning masterminds on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesdays’ from 8:30am-9:15am. Tuesdays’ business building meetings take place from 9:30am-11am every week. Hot Topic of Discussion: “If a home has been sold at a sheriff’s sale, but the sale price wasn’t enough to cover the

debt, can the creditor seek a personal defi-ciency judgment?” The short answer: NO Deficiency Judgment if Foreclosure by Advertisement. POSSIBLE Deficiency Judgment if Foreclo-sure by Action. There are many situations and potential situations sellers and buyers need to be made aware of with this ever changing marketplace. I cannot imagine much closed business for those who are out of the loop. Keep yourself informed, align yourself with good people and remember to take care of yourself first so you can help others. Last but not least. Did you know that EXIT generated over $300,000 residually in Minnesota in 2009 with less than 150 agents. With fewer agents our transactions went up by 14%, sales volume up 4% and commissions also up 3%. That tells me we’re aligned with interested and engaged agents!

Insights with Karen Tobler A look at the Art of Social Media. lion in a matter of days. So, how can this powerful resource work for real estate? It is quite simple: empower those you want to help or with whom you want to do business. What would happen if we each took a moment to Twitter about the great service we received from a home inspector, or a mortgage expert? It boils down to GIVE what you want to RECEIVE! If they see you doing it, they’ll more than likely return the favor. You can also empower others by adding useful content. Ideally, that useful content is linked to your own blog or website or even

a Facebook page where people can keep in contact with you and ask you direct questions. Also, remember to have the conversation with your sphere as to what sites they prefer. You might find that the majority are on Facebook or

maybe they love LinkedIn. Concen-trate your efforts on the most used sites, if that is the case. You don’t need to be on every site at every minute, you just need to be consistent in

making the connections on the ones that make sense. Make helpful comments, follow others, retweet. In our MasterMind Ses-sions, we often talk about making consistent, small changes as we

...give what you want

to receive....they’ll

most likely return the

favor

work towards achieving our yearly goals. Here is a simple thing you can do to constantly grow your so-cial media connections: on a monthly basis check to see if your newest contacts have profiles and then connect with them. Both Face-book and Twitter have a Find Friends or Followers application that makes it easy to do, as do other sites. Also, check out sites like www.mashable.com and www.rww.com. Each is chock full of great advice, trending informa-tion, and guidebooks to help you along your social media path. See you on Twitter and the rest of the social media world!! www.twitter.com/karentobler

UPCOMING EVENTS &

SPECIAL OCCASSIONS

February 17th:    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!  Frank D’Angelo!   February 11th:    Membership Breakfast  ‐  Not the same old FHA       Majestic Oaks Golf Course www.northmetro.com for details  

February 16th:  EXIT REALTY NEXUS   EXIT REALTY NEXUS   EXIT REALTY NEXUS   ‐‐‐                     Art Show and  Grand Opening Celebration!!Art Show and  Grand Opening Celebration!!Art Show and  Grand Opening Celebration!!               Join us as we celebrate the great changes we have Join us as we celebrate the great changes we have Join us as we celebrate the great changes we have             made!  4made!  4made!  4‐‐‐7 pm7 pm7 pm      February 17th:  NORTH METRO BOARD CMA Class:                                1:00‐3:30 www.northmetro.com  for details  February 18th:     WCR Seminar and Luncheon  ‐           11:00 am ‐1:00 pm  www.twincitiesWCR.org for details                     

If Einstein were alive to-day, he would probably have discov-ered a formula to factor the rate of change for the internet and social media. That being said, the power of social media isn’t entirely in its rapid evolution. In my humble opin-ion, it is in the empowerment it gives to those who use it wisely. For example, in the first days following the devastating earth-quake in Haiti, efforts to raise money through social media, includ-ing texting and so on, were astound-ing. The Red Cross raised $20 mil-

A Journey of Change Jodi Vezina, one of our newest additions, shares a fresh

perspective on her move to EXIT REALTY NEXUS.

My original journey of "change" was to simply have a seamless entry into my next agency. What happened is to be summed up only as, "I was blind, but now I see". I'm not one to make a change that will not bet-ter myself. I'd thought maybe more resources or a less stagnant office would be nice, uplifting. I wasn't reaching for the stars; I wasn't shooting for the moon, just a place to help me become a successful REALTOR. But, I was blindsided. I realized that my independence had been simply that: I had been on my own. Walking into EXIT REALTY NEXUS, all of that changed. From the frontline teammates to the

heart of the agency, these people of integrity are showing me what can hap-pen when you are on a true team. In the past, the day looked like a job was ahead, and now the day is an opportunity to push for-ward and make more opportunities happen. I took the chance to train with a billion dollar company years ago; EXIT's training and education simply outshines that of others. The ability to coor-dinate such a productive group, weekly updates, each important lead, NEXUS shows the meaning of its name: a group of con-

nected people coming to-gether. The level of com-munication and the knowl-edge and willingness of the team is exhilarating It mo-tivates me! Period. Before EXIT, I just "did", now I "do". A day in the life at EXIT REALTY

Nexus is fulfill-ing. With a group that is fresh and talented, one you can trust, you know your clients can trust as well. My daily

motivation from NEXUS now spills into my personal life, making life changes that excite me. At the tender age of forty-one, I'd thought my life was great for now, and after Nexus, I feel my life is NOW and it IS GREAT. It's

refreshing that in my twenty-two year career I now feel like I am"there". In the past, I had been anything but satisfied with the tools each REAL-TOR needs at their finger-tips. I was used to being an independent agent that did what was expected of me from my peers and went over and above from my clients. I've now stepped into an atmosphere that goes to the extreme for me and am no longer alone in my independence or lim-ited to my own reources. I see now that it takes a NEXUS to coordinate the type of new era business that I am lucky enough to be a part of.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CLOSINGS

January 2010

Donavon DesMarais   

Frank D’Angelo   

Sheldon Berquist   

Brian Watson   ‐  Multiple Closings  

Jodi Vezina

I've now stepped into an

atmosphere that goes to the

extreme for ME...

I had a real eye opening ex-perience a while ago. We were spending time with my family and talking about the economy, bail outs etc.,

and how these things were affect-ing our respective business'. My Dad paused for a second and then said "Oh, I should have sent Deb to you". I asked who Deb was and he said she is a friend of theirs that needed a mortgage.

When she asked my Dad who he knew he referred her to a casual acquaintance. After giving him a hard time about his grandchildren needing new shoes, I asked why he didn't refer her to me. He apologetically said he had forgot-ten I was in the mortgage busi-ness. My own father! What I learned from this is that you can never market yourself too much. This is a great time to buy a house! Rates are low. Prices are low. There are many programs available that offer rebates, or down payment assis-tance, or both. I am proud to be

in this business and hope that you are too. We help people to real-ize their dreams and their goals. We provide a service that few others can. We have the infor-mation and answers that people need to make the right decision. That being said, we can't take for granted that people will think of us when they have a real estate need. I am a mortgage loan officer for Bank of America and I would love to tell you about the

benefits of your clients doing a loan with me. Whether it be our buyers protection program which pays their payment for up to six months if they experience hard-ship, or the great programs we have available, I am confident that your clients will have a very positive buying experience if they choose to work with me. Let's have a great 2010 and oh yeah, if you run into my Dad please tell him I'm in the mort-gage business.