I finally caught up on some reading this weekend - you know those magazines that pile up with the intention of getting around to them in a free moment! I read the August issue of NAR's REALTOR magazine and wanted to share some highlights with links to the online articles. NAR's Newest Designation Is Green - the first certification courses will be held at the NAR Convention in Orlando, November 5-6. For more information about the designation, or to register for the course, visit www.greenresourcecouncil.org or e-mail [email protected]. Green Your Marketing With Eco Features - This article offers some advice... Read more →

If you are searching for lists and links to real estate blogs - everything from real estate agent bloggers to real estate marketing, industry and news - here are some resources I've bookmarked for future reference: Bloodhound Blog maintains this potentially canonical list of real estate weblogs. Todd Carpenter of Lenderama and Blog Fiesta created REMBEX, a customized Google search of a thousand+ real estate blogs You can also add the Rembex search engine as a widget for your blog. See my sidebar for an example - just scroll down to right above the list of blog directories. Don't forget... Read more →

International Listings has included this blog in their recent Top 50 Real Estate Marketing Blogs article! It's quite an honor and exciting to be included on the list of many notable real estate blogs - several I read and subscribe to. International Listings is a unique online classifed advertisement site for luxury listings. The two website owners - Andy Hagan and Brian Thibault - offer an online venue to expose your luxury listings to an international audience and over 20,000 visitors monthly. Read more →

I recently re-read and listened to the audio book by David Allen Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. The difference this time - I was ready to put the techniques to use and have discovered a system that works for me. The major aha for me was realizing my "to do" list is not enough. The key step I was missing was taking the time to think about and record the "next action" to take in order to move a project forward to my desired outcome. The basic premise of the book is to get everything out... Read more →

I highly recommend this upcoming seminar scheduled for Sat-Sun, November 3-4, at the Wingate Inn in Henderson. My good friend and fellow coach Joel Smith and I attended the NLP Practitioner certification course conducted by the Tad James Company. This two-day course will introduce you to some key principles and techniques of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and how to apply them in your life and business for immediate results. Special 2 for 1 pricing available (just mention Jan or Joel referred you) - Seminar is $395 - sign up with someone else and get two registrations for the price of one.... Read more →

Last week I interviewed Matthew Hardy, developer and designer of a powerful Real Estate software system called Real Estate Success Tracker (REST). You can listen to the call above or download the audio file. Several weeks ago my team and I previewed the unique features and usability of the program through an online demonstration with a team from REST. Simply put, I was impressed. The program is a comprehensive, easy to use tool to follow-up with your sellers, buyers, and sphere of influence as well as track your real estate transactions. The online training and tech support is also outstanding.... Read more →

Ok bloggers, readers, friends...I absolutely love Zen Habits - a blog I discovered over the weekend. Bookmark it, subscribe to it, read it, comment on it! It's fresh and compelling. Leo is the blogger and he blogs about: "achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits." Check out his excellent post: Handbook for Life: 52 Habits for Happiness and Productivity. This straight-forward, common sense, extensive list of life tips are great reminders for enjoying the journey, simplfying your life and maximizing productivity. Read more →

A recent article from Business 2.0 on CNNMoney.com ranks Las Vegas as the second best city in America with the best job growth forecast. With a 2 year job growth forecast of 6.5%, Las Vegas is right behind Orlando, FL . "Analysts say Las Vegas could end up topping Orlando in job growth, because it's uniquely insulated from downturns in ways that most major cities would envy. " Hottest jobs: Construction project manager ($78,800), IT project manager ($74,600), construction superintendent ($71,900), civil engineer ($70,000), executive chef ($65,500) "But almost in sync, another engine of the local economy went into overdrive:... Read more →

I enjoyed this article by Paul Rutter from RISMedia today entitled, "The 5 C's of Team Success.". The article adresses teamwork from the perspective of a company and how the management team can build a winning team using the 5 C's. Of course, these principles apply to building success with your team - your own brokerage within a brokerage. Build COMMUNITY - This starts with the leadership team always. A new member to the team/company must feel welcomed and feel a part of the group immediately. Do you have a system of welcoming and acknowledging a new team member? Some... Read more →

In the first article on mastermind groups, I covered the What and Why. Now, let's discuss who it would benefit and how to get it started. Who could benefit from participating in a mastermind group? The short answer is everyone. That is, anyone who is really serious and committed to the group and its purpose. Some established networking groups may also provide some of the benefits of a mastermind. For example, LeTip and BNI are two business networking organizations that are primarily focused on giving and receiving qualified referrals and business tips. Toastmasters is another excellent organization comprised of local... Read more →

Joining or starting a Mastermind Group is a powerful, creative and supportive strategy to implement for your business and personal development. I highly recommend reading two excellent books that include information about masterminds. The first book is the classic by Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich . Chapter 10 is entitled "The Power of the Master Mind." Hill defines the master mind as "coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose." Hill also discusses the two characteristics of a master mind - one economic and the... Read more →

This article entitled, If You Blog It, Will Leads Follow? from RISMEdia is a good overview of why blogging has become a necessary tool to use for increasing your marketing presence, establishing your brand, building relationships with your client base and positioning yourself as a market expert. Some blog basics include being clear about the goal of your blog, committing to posting frequently and promoting your blog. Read more →

Here is a great article from Inman News entitled "Become a billion-dollar agent: Real estate's new standard for success." The article by Bernice Ross is discussing the book by Steve Kantor "Billion Dollar Agent - Lessons Learned." Some of the highlights of the article and book: Build your business on your passion and delegate everything else Get a strong support team Have written goals Take time to "work on" your business rather than just "working in" your business (E-Myth Revisited) Billion dollar agents are "hunters" - active prospecters Be creative in leveraging your systems Be a voracious learner Get a... Read more →