The weather is getting warmer and naturally our thoughts turn to spending time outdoors, hopefully for both work and play. A favorite pastime for enjoying this warmer weather is riding a bike, an activity that tradition tells us, “Once you learn, you can never forget.” After more time than I care to admit, I dusted off my bike to get a little exercise, and realized that, in fact, you can forget. More accurately, it was not the riding that I forgot, but it was controlling the bike that escaped me: how to steer, change gears and brake before pedaling off the curb. (Ouch!)

 

Bicycles aside, there are many things about which we can get a little rusty if we have not had sufficient practice. We need practice to maintain our skill set, and that includes buying and selling real estate. We hope the warmer weather, lower interest rates and federal tax incentives will stimulate buyer traffic during this spring market.

 

Given an alignment of nearly perfect ‘buy now’ conditions, are you prepared to hit the ground running with your spring clients? In what areas do you need more practice to put a little ‘air’ in your tires? How about your knowledge of financing changes? Are you skilled in presenting offers for short sales and bank-owned property? Are you versed in the new changes to government and conventional loan products? If not, then you need to build up or refresh those skills today and enroll into one of the classes covering the New Rules of Real Estate Finance, taught at NVAR.

 

How about your communication with buyers? With more than 80 percent of prospective buyers now looking online prior to contacting an agent, can they find you online? For those of you with an online presence, what are clients learning about you and your business? Are you networked on Facebook, Plaxo and LinkedIn? Are you posting home previews and information on Flickr, Active Rain or your own blog? Having a well-planned and organized presence in these mediums is essential to gain the trust of today’s buying public. They expect to learn a lot more about your business prior to meeting you, and NVAR is working to help you increase and enhance these skills.

 

Earlier this spring, NVAR’s Education Advisory Group debuted the Realtor® Stimulus Series, four low-cost, hot-topic classes designed to bring your skills in line with buyer expectations. Each of the sessions covers items that require little to no investment of cash, just the time you need to spend sharpening your skills and learning new programs. Our June event will feature Social Media basics to help you build your online professional presence.

 

We at NVAR are here to keep you primed and ready for business, with classes, podcasts, video tutorials and more tools to keep your business cruising. Stay safe, keep plenty of air in your tires and wear your helmet – it is getting crowded out there! Make sure you have the best tools in advance of your journey. Visit nvar.com to learn more and sign up today!