A publication of the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®

REALTORSPRING 2011®

review

Nationwide Open House JUNE4-5

2010 Year in Review

REALTORS® recognized for “giving back”

1 FromthePresident

3 NeighborsHelping Neighbors

7 NewsMakers

21 LocalMarketUpdates

24 NewMembers

departments

RALEIGH REGIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

111RealtorsWay,Cary,N.C.27513Phone:919-654-5400;Fax:919-654-5401www.rrar.com

RRAR OFFICERSLindaTrevor,PresidentMarshallGay,Vice PresidentStaceyAnfindsen,President ElectAsaFleming,Secretary/TreasurerTheresaClark,Past President

RRAR DIRECTORS StaceyAnfindsen BeckyHarperVinceBankoski GraysonHodgeAutumneBennett MortyJaysonPhyllisBrookshire CarolMcCormickEddieBrown MelanieOsborneDavidChance MollieOwenTheresaClark JohnPaceKellyCobb TeresaPittSteinaDeAndrade ZachSchabotHarrietteDoggett JoseSerranoLaurieDonofrio TomSmithAsaFleming JoshSwindellMarshallGay LindaTrevorTomGongaware MaryEdnaWilliamsLewisGrubbs JohnWood

REALTOR® FOUNDATION OF THE TRIANGLE OFFICERS MarshallGay,PresidentGaryRabon,Secretary/TreasurerJoeyRobbins,Past President

NCAR REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS TheresaClark JohnWood

NAR DIRECTORS EddieBrown JohnWood

TRIANGLE REALTORS® LEADERSHIP ACADEMY DEAN AsaFleming

Membersarecautionedthattheinclusionofaname,specificcommercialproductorserviceinanarticle,orinthispublicationdoesnotimplyendorsementbytheRaleighRegionalAssociationofREALTORS®.AlladvertisersinthispublicationwhollysupporttheFairHousingActandfullypromoteequalopportunityhousing.

Copyright2011bytheRaleighReg-ionalAssociationofREALTORS®.Allrightsreserved.

REALTOR® REVIEW STAFF: PatriciaGregoryRand,managingeditor, patriciar@rrar.comHeidiKetler,APR,editor,hketler@verizon.netCarolineShipman,assistanteditor, carolines@rrar.comMargoAlfieri,intern,margoa@rrar.comShellyBeck,graphicdesigner, sbdesign@cox.net

Foreditorialcontributionsandadinquiries,pleasecontactCarolineShipmanatcarolines@rrar.comor(919)654-5400.

SPRING 2011, VOL. 3, NO. 2REALTORreview

®

5SET YOUR SIGHTS ON

GREEN HOME TOUR The Green

Home Builders of the Triangle will present its

annual tour of green-certified homes May 14-15 and May 21-22.

6 10 WAYS TO GREEN YOUR HOME Here are

some practical measures for making your home more energy efficient and Earth friendly.

9 REAL ESTATE AGENTS: PLUG

INTO GEN X, GEN Y BUYER PREFERENCES Update your marketing as a “Trusted Resource” to appeal to four generations.

features

Preliminary Identity Colors

Dark Blue PMS 282CMYK: 100, 72, 0, 56RGB: 0, 40, 93

PMS 282

Blue PMS 299CMYK: 85, 18, 0, 0RGB: 0, 158, 221

PMS 299

Light Purple PMS 265CMYK: 54, 56, 0, 0RGB: 129, 119, 183

PMS 265

Purple PMS 360CMYK: 58, 0, 80, 0RGB: 115, 193, 103

PMS 360

MEASURE WHAT MATTERS TO YOUR REAL ESTATE SITE Analytics can relate online activity to the bot-tom line and company values.

27 7 TIPS TO CREATE REAL ESTATE

MARKETING BUZZ These suggestions will get the creative juices flowing and people buzzing about you.

17 COMMERCIAL REALTOR® OF

THE YEAR TCAR recognizes Smedes York as Commercial REALTOR® of the Year and many others.

30 CalendarofEvents

32 Bits&Pieces

rrar.com

25

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 1

MISSION STATEMENTTheRaleighRegionalAssociationofREALTORS®,thearea’svoiceofrealestate,promotesthehighestethicalandprofessionalstandardsandcooperationamongitsmembers;providesproducts,programsandservicestomeettheevolvingneedsoftherealestateindustryandconsumers;andservesasaleadingadvocateofprivatepropertyrightsandcommunityinvolvement.VISION STATEMENT“Anticipatingandmeetingtheopportunitiesandchallengesofourindustry.”RRAR 2011 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Bylaws:StaceyAnfindsenBuilding:StaceyAnfindsenCommunityService:LisaJeffriesGovernmentalAffairs:TheresaPittRPAC:StaceyAnfindsenHousingOpportunity:JohnHartofelisPersonnel:GaryRabonGrievance:VanessaCastillioProfessionalStandards:HarrietteDoggettStrategicPlanning:StaceyAnfindsenNominatingCommittee:PhyllisBrookshireRRAR 2011 COUNCIL CHAIRS PropertyManagement:DebbieHenryInternationalCouncil:DianaBraunTopProducers:DeborahMcCraeandJaniceRosenbergWomen’sCouncil:DianaBraunYoungProfessionalsNetwork:DavidChanceRRAR STAFF DIRECTORYMainOffice (919)654-5400Fax(919)654-5401www.rrar.comRRARCompanyStore (919)654-7253ExecutiveVicePresident RaymondC.Larcher,Ext.218,rayl@rrar.comAssociationServicesDirector BetsyRamsey,Ext.217,betsyr@rrar.comAssociationServicesAssociate VickiBuckholtz,Ext.216,vickib@rrar.comCommunicationsDirector PatriciaGregoryRand,Ext.239,patriciar@rrar.comCommunicationsAssociate CarolineShipman,Ext.238,carolines@rrar.comEducationDirector CaraMottershead,Ext.211,caram@rrar.comEducationAssociate SonyaYankoglu,Ext.212,sonyay@rrar.comFacilitiesManager MaryRachelWhite,Ext.210,maryrachelw@rrar.comGovernmentalAffairsDirector TaraL.Robbins,Ext.215,taralynl@rrar.comInformationAssociate SheliaClark,Ext.200,sheliac@rrar.comStoreManager YukariPowers,Ext.201,yukarip@rrar.comTMLS STAFF DIRECTORYVicePresidentofOperations RachelWiest,Ext.219,rachelw@trianglemls.comTMLSExecutiveAssociate ChristyNew,Ext.220,christyn@trianglemls.comComplianceDirector LetitiaSantos,Ext.234,letitias@trianglemls.comComplianceAssociate RainaJoyner,Ext.242,rainaj@trianglemls.comDataDistributionDirector CarolHamrick,Ext.213,carolh@trianglemls.comDataDistributionAssociate BonnieEaddy,Ext.207,bonniee@trianglemls.comMLSSystemsDirector KathyMatheson,Ext.233,kathym@trianglemls.comMLSTechnicalSupportAssociate JStepp,Ext.226,js@trianglemls.comMLS/RealistSupportAssociate JenniferHorton,Ext.227,jenniferh@trianglemls.comTechnicalOperationsDirector MattNagy,Ext.225,mattn@trianglemls.comTrainingDevelopmentManager AllanNielsen,Ext.208,allann@trianglemls.comCTC/MLSTrainingManager LynneBrid,Ext.232,lynneb@trianglemls.comRRAR/TMLS MEMBERSHIP/ FINANCE DEPARTMENTMembership/FinanceDirector RandiGaines,Ext.221,randig@trianglemls.comFinanceAssociate PatLong,Ext.222,patl@trianglemls.comFinanceAssociate JillPressley,Ext.221,Jillp@rrar.comMembershipAssociate KellyHunsucker,Ext.209,kellyh@trianglemls.com

from the president

REALTORS®

BYLINDATREVOR,RRAR2011PRESIDENT

REALTORS® are vital to the fabric of a strongcommunity. We are the “boots on the ground,”workingthroughoutallcorners,dayinandout,abletoidentifyneedsanddoourparttofillthem.

Therecentpresentationofthe2010FredFletcherOutstandingFinancialContributorawardtotheREALTOR®FoundationoftheTriangleisgreatconfirmation.Especiallyifyouconsidertheshorttimeframethefoundationshasbeeninexistence.

Oftenwhenitcomestocommunityneed,thereisnotimetowaste.SoRFTgotbusy,funneling

funds, resources and people to-wardrefurbishing

Raleigh’sEast-gateParkplay-ground. Thework was bothfunandserious,asweknowhowimportant accesstosaferecreationis in the healthydevelopment ofyoungpeople.Turn to page 3

to readmoreabout theFredFletcherawardandanupcomingopportunitytohelpbuildtwonewplaygrounds.Considerparticipating.A look at the photos shows how good it feels to work together incommunityservice.

There are plenty of other opportunities to join the fun through theRaleighRegionalAssociationofREALTORS®CommunityServiceCom-mittee.Clickhereforascheduleofupcomingopportunitiestovolunteer.

WithalonglistofserviceinitiativesrangingfromProjectAngelTreeto student scholarships, theCommunityServiceCommittee isagreatvehicleforhelpingtheneedyinWakeCounty.

RRARmembers’actualcommunityservicecontributionsareoutlinedin the year-in-review on page 14 of this issue of REALTOR® Review.Congratulations forall thestridesdespitedifficulteconomic times. It’strulyasourceofpride.

Our collective heart and soul makesgreatthingshappen!

Linda Trevor

2011 RRAR President

Have Heart

Happy spring! Linda

CA RY1 Twin Lakes • From the low $200s

New homes created with Martha Stewart 1,408–3,280 sq. ft., 3–6 bdrms., 2–3 bathsFrom I-40, take Exit 284/Airport Blvd. toward Cary and turn right on Chapel Hill Rd./Hwy. 54. At light, turn left on McCrimmon Pkwy. to community 1.5 mi. on left. (919) 460-8860

2 Phillips Place • From the mid $200s1,865–3,345 sq. ft., 3–6 bdrms., 2–3 bathsVisit us at Twin Lakes for more information. From I-40, take Exit 284/Airport Blvd. toward Cary and turn right on Chapel Hill Rd./Hwy. 54. At light, turn left on McCrimmon Pkwy. to community 1.5 mi. on left. (919) 768-7989

C L AY TO N3 Cobblestone Place • From the low $100s

1,394–2,450 sq. ft., 3–5 bdrms., 2–3 baths From Hwy. 70 East toward Clayton, pass Hwy. 42 West and turn right on Champion St. (after McCall’s BBQ) to sales center on left. (919) 359-0193

D U R H A M4 Belcrest • From the mid $100s

1,303–2,784 sq. ft., 3–6 bdrms., 2–3 baths From Hwy. 40, take Exit 276/Fayetteville Rd. toward downtown Durham and continue less than 2 mi. to community on right. (919) 806-0398

5 Ellerbee Creek Preserve • From the low $100s1,303–2,784 sq. ft., 3–6 bdrms., 2–3 baths Take Hwy. 70 to I-85 North and exit Red Mill Rd. Turn left at end of ramp and left on Hamlin Rd. to community on left. (919) 294-4788

6 Foxwood Manor • From the mid $100s1,303–2,784 sq. ft., 3–6 bdrms., 2–3 baths Take I-40 East to Durham and take Exit 279/Hwy. 147. Go approx. 3.5 mi. and take Exit 8/Ellis Rd. Turn left on Ellis Rd., go approx. .6 mi. and turn right at stoplight to continue on Ellis Rd. Community is .8 mi. ahead on right. (919) 596-7942

DURHAM/MORRISVILLE7 Keystone Crossing • From the low $100s

1,276–1,647 sq. ft., 2–3 bdrms., 2.5 bathsFrom I-40, take Exit 282/Page Rd., go west on Page Rd. Turn left on Miami Blvd. Continue .6 mi., merge right on Church St. and make an immediate right on Keystone Park Dr. past railroad tracks. (919) 941-1581

KB Home Studio8161 Brier Creek Pkwy.From I-540, take Exit 3/Lumley Rd. Turn left on Lumley Rd., right on Brier Creek Pkwy. and right into shopping center. Studio is between Ross and Michaels.

Call (919) 768-7960 for KB Home Studio hours or to schedule an appointment.

Broker Cooperation Welcome. ©2011 KB Home (KBH). ©2011 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Payment of Broker Co-op requires Broker to accompany and register buyer on first visit and comply with Broker Co-op Agreement. See Built to Order™ options and upgrades offered at KB Home Studio. All options/upgrades require additional charges, may require ordering at predetermined

stages of construction and are subject to change/discontinuation anytime by KB Home. KB Home is not a custom homebuilder and Built to Order only applies to appliances/options available at KB Home Studio. Plans, pricing, financing, terms, availability and specifications subject to change/prior sale without notice and may vary by neighborhood, lot location and home series. Additional charges apply for lot premiums, options/upgrades. Buyer responsible for all taxes, insurance and other fees. Sq. footage is approximate. Photos show upgraded landscaping/options and may not represent communities’ lowest-priced homes. Map not to scale. See sales representative for details. RAL-93689

888-KB-HOMES kbhome.comBuilding quality new homes since 1957.

guideTHE

GREAT NEIGHBORHOODS • INNOVATIVE HOME DESIGNS • FROM THE LOW $100s

5

12

3

6

7

4

Ask about

our Preferred

Broker

Program

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 3

neighbors helping neighbors

Parks and Recreation Award Recognizes REALTOR® Foundation

In recognition of its donation to help refurbishRaleigh’sEastgateParkplaygroundat4200QuailHollow Road, the REALTOR® Foundation of theTriangle won the 2010 Fred Fletcher OutstandingFinancialContributorawardfromtheCityofRaleighParksandRecreationDepartment.

Joey Robbins, Mollie Owen, Ray Larcher and Marshall Gay received the Raleigh Parks & Recreation

Award on behalf of RFT.The Fred Fletcher

AwardsProgramwascreated to thank thethousands of volun-teers who havehelpedwithamul-titude of Raleigh

Parks and Recreation Department projects overtheyears.

Members are invited to team up with Founda-tion volunteers, along with Raleigh Regional As-sociation of REALTORS® staff and board membersFriday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, tobuildtwonewplaygroundsforages2to5and5to

12.Apermanent signwith the Foundation’slogo will be placed at the site of the pre-school-ageplaygroundinappreciationoftheFoundation’ssponsorship.Volunteers are needed both days. No ex-

perience is necessary, just enthusiasm andwillingness to have fun! You must be age18 or older to help with this project, andpre-registration is required. To register,contact Vicki Buckholz at vickib@rrar.com or(919)654-5400,ext.216.

May 13-15 & 21-22noon–6 p.m.

919.493.8899

www.TriangleGreenHomeTour.com

A joint program of the HBA of Durham, Orange, & Chatham Counties and the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County

TRIANGLEGREENHOMETOUR.COM

FREE! AVAILABLE IN APRIL

Mobile Website& iPhone App

A diverse group of green homes open to the public for touring, with a green building professional on site to answer questions and describe their home’s green features.

Don’t miss this unique chance to see � rst-hand the renewable energy and green building practices at work in our area!

Green homes offer these special benefi ts:

• energy effi ciency

• cleaner, healthier air

• a quieter home

• reduced maintenance

• lower monthly costs

• better resale value

• a variety of state-of-the-art building and technical features

• resource conservation

Pick up your free tour book at these fun and informative kick-off events.

THURSDAY, MAY 12 • 5–7 P.M. Enjoy light refreshments and samplings at the

Raleigh Whole Foods, 3540 Wade Avenue and at the North Raleigh Whole Foods, 8710 Six Forks Road.

FRIDAY, MAY 13 • 5–7 P.M. Sample organic wines and gourmet cheeses at the

Durham Whole Foods, 621 Broad Street and at the Chapel Hill Whole Foods, 81 S. Elliott Road.

Tour books will also be available for pick-up in May at the HBA of� ces, Whole Foods,

and the homes on the tour.

Sponsored by

Set Your Sights on Green Home Tour

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 5

Set Your Sights on Green Home Tour

The sixth annual Green Home Tour will give the public the

opportunity to explore green home building in a range

of prices and styles.

May 14-15 and May 21-22

Carrboro

Cary

Chapel Hill

Durham

Fuquay- Varina

Mebane

Hillsborough

Pittsboro

Raleigh

Zebulon

The self-guided tour showcases onlyhousesthathavemetorexceededgreencertification requirements, according toathird-partyverifier.Someofthehousesontourwillbepartiallycompletetogivevisitorsabetterviewofgreenfeatures.Visitors also will have the opportunitytotalkwiththebuilders.

TheGreenHomeTourispresentedbytheGreenHomeBuildersoftheTriangle,a joint program of the Home BuildersAssociationofDurham,Orange&Cha-tham Counties and the Home BuildersAssociationofRaleigh-WakeCounty.

Homeson tour range fromentry levelto luxury. They are located in Raleigh,Zebulon, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill,CarrboroandPittsboro.

Free tourbooksareavailableatareaWholeFoodsstoresandtheHBAoffices.Funkick-offeventswillbefrom5-7p.m.at Raleigh Whole Foods May 12, andDurham and Chapel Hill Whole FoodsonMay13.

Tour information also is available atwww.trianglegreenhometour.com.

828 Minerva Dale Drive Fuquay-Varina

1686 Briar Chapel Chapel Hill

104 Sharp Street Winmore

1724 Whispering Meadows Drive, Zebulon

1243 Great Ridge Parkway Chapel Hill

904 Hillsborough Road Carrboro

6 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

Thereareplentyofways tobeabetterglobalcitizenanditstartswithyourownlivingenvironment.

Considerallaspectsofyourhomeregarding energy efficiency, re-sourceconsumption,waterusageand indoorairquality. For thoseinterestedinbuildingorremodelingahome,thiswillrequireconsider-ableresearchandknowledgeableprofessionals.Homebuyersshouldseekouthomes thatarecertifiedgreen by a third-party verifier.Green homes should operate asasystemformaximumefficiency.

A builder may earn greencertification for his home if theymeet the following 10 goals forgreenconstruction.1. The best way to start beingearth friendly is by recyclingeverything and cutting back onyour consumption throughoutthe house. Recycling one glassbottlecansaveenoughelectricityto lighta100-watt lightbulb forfourhours.

2. Select cleaning products thathaveeco-friendlyingredients;readthelabels.3. Limitwaterusagearound thehouseanduserecycledwaterforthe garden. When choosing afaucetor toilet, selectone that isa low-flow model. Consider pur-chasing a tankless water heatertoreducewastedenergy.4. Reduce energy consumptionat home by keeping it warmerin the summer and cooler in thewinter. Change air filters month-ly,getanHVACassessmentandconsider adding solar panels orgeothermalheating.5. Replaceappliancesolderthan10yearswithEnergyStar-approvedappliances.Consider that the re-frigerator uses about 18 percentof a home’s total energy bill.EnergyStarmodelsuse from10-50percentlessenergyandwaterthanstandardmodels.6. Replace incandescent bulbswithcompactflorescentlightbulbs(CFL).CFLscansave$30perbulboverthelifetimeofthebulb.

7. Chooseenvironmentallyconsci-entious flooring options, such asbamboo, cork, reclaimed hard-woodflooringorrecycledcarpet.Makesuretheinstallerusesform-aldehyde-freeglues.8. Selecthealthierinteriorfinishes.Most major paint manufacturersnow offer a low-volatile organiccompound (VOC) paint, whichreduces thehealth risksofpaint.Talkwithyourpaintprofessional.9. Even theoutsidecanbecomegreener,withbetter sitedevelop-ment, locally grown plants andcompost.10. Talk to builders who viewthe house as a system, from sitedevelopment,resourceuse,waterefficiency, indoor air quality, en-ergy efficiency and homeownereducation.

REALTORS® can use onlinesearch tools to identify green-certifiedhouses.

Formoreinformationaboutgreencertification,visittheGreenHomeBuilders of the Triangle website,www.trianglegreenhometour.com.

10 Ways to Green Your Home

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 7

10 Ways to Green Your Home

1-800-494-26201-800-494-2620

www.OdorSweep.com

CAN'T SELL – CAN'T RENTCAN'T SELL – CAN'T RENTGot Bad OdorsGot Bad Odors

GUARANTEEDGUARANTEEDRemoval of any odor or you don't pay

We Remove: Pet Odors – Tobacco Smoke – Curry – UnknownIn the past 3 years we have eradicated odors from over 900

apartments and homes in the Triangle area.

Take the Funk out of your Skunk!™

newsmakers

decision makers are. They alsocan identify predatory-servicing tactics and guideconsumers to theappropriateNorthCarolina stateregulatoryagencies,ifnecessary.

Each of the CSSS seller agent designation classsegmentsareapprovedasgeneralcontinuinglegaleducationby theNorthCarolinaStateBarandascontinuingeducationelectivesbytheNorthCarolinaRealEstateCommission.CSSSclassesareofferedbyAdvanceMortgageEducationInc.

Craig and other CSSS real estate professionalsare dedicated to helping North Carolina home-ownersmanagetheshortsaleprocessandminimizeanynegativefinancialimpact.

Peggy Craig earns North Carolina Short Sale Specialist Certification

PeggyCraig,brokerwithKellerWilliamsPreferredRealty-Raleigh/

Durham, earned her North Carolina Short SaleSpecialistcertification.

The Certified Short Sale Specialist (CSSS) selleragentdesignationisthefirstandonlyNorthCarolinastate-specificshortsaledesignation.CSSSdesigneesare real estate-related professionals dedicated tohelpingNorthCarolinahomeownerswhoowemorethantheirpropertyisworth.

CSSSdesigneesunderstandtheshortsaleprocess,transactional entities and who the true short sale

Peggy Craig

8 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

1

432

1st Closing:2.5% Commission

4th Closing:4% Commission

3rd Closing:3.5% Commission

2nd Closing:3% Commission

1

SOLID REPUTATION.SOLID PARTNER.SOLID REWARDS.

SM

dreeshomes.comdreeshomes.com

Drees Homes SOLID REWARDS Realtor Program

Raleigh“Building Company of the Year”

2006

, 2007, 2009, 2010

Drees has always had a solid reputation. Because we value the relationships we’ve developed with

our Realtor partners, we’re proud to continue our Solid Rewards Program. Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, you can earn up to a 4% Commission when you sell Drees homes.

To learn more, visit one of our fine communities located throughout the Triangle or contact a Drees Market Manager for details.

*The Solid Rewards Realtor program is not available with any other offer and is paid at closing. Drees assumes no responsibility between Broker and Agent on distribution of commission. Program begins January 1 through December 31, 2011. Sales are accumulated by an individual Realtor and cannot be accumulated by a Realtor team. Commission will be paid in order of closing date, not sale date. Subject to change or cancellation without notice. See a Drees Market Manager for complete details. Energy Star applicable to single family homes only.

CARYBrandywine from the $310s 367-9028

Coles Creek from the $390s 460-4540

RALEIGHBanks Pointe from the $310s 803-4552

WAKE FORESTBowling Green from the $240s 570-2022

ROLESVILLELakes of Rolesville* from the $380s 435-1773The Village at Rolesville from the $250s 435-1773

DURHAMAsh� eld Place from the $210s 477-5844

Colony at from the $290s 477-5844American Village*

DURHAMBrightleaf at the Park** Single Family Homes from the $250s 596-9513Townhomes from the $130s 957-8617

HILLSBOROUGHChurton Grove from the $320s 732-5112

BUILD ON YOUR OWN LOT 844-9288

Decorated models open Mon., Tues., Fri., and Sat. 11-6, Sun 12-6, Weds. and Thurs. by appointment.

*By appointment only.**Open Mon.-Sat. 11-6, Sun 12-6

©2009 Drees Premier Homes, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Pricing subject to change.

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 9

BYBERNICEROSS

Are you still marketing yourbusinesswithpersonalbrochures,glamour shots of yourself takenmore than a decade ago andotheragent-centricapproaches?Ifso,it’stimetoshiftgearstofitthedemands of the next generationofbuyersandsellers.

Realestatehasevolvedoverthelast several decades from beingbroker-centric to being agent-centric, and then tobeing client-centric.Thequestionis:Whatmodelisbestsuitedfortoday’sclients?

In the client-centric model, theagent is seen as a “trusted ad-viser”whoguidedclientsthroughthebuyingorsellingprocess.The

“TrustedAdviserModel” (aswellas the agent-centric “me-me-me”model) is still common in realestate. If you’re still marketingusingthe“we’reNo.1approach”or plastering your face all overpostcards, bus benches and bill-boards,yourmoneyandtimearebetterspentmakingyourmaterialsmoreclient-centric.

Different generations require different

approaches

Today,agentsmustmodifytheirmarketing and negotiation strat-egies to adapt to four differentgenerations.

For those born before 1965(boomersandtheirilk),thetrusted

Real estate agents: Plug into Gen X, Gen Y buyer preferences

adviser model is still importantsince they value expertise. Theyexpect their REALTOR® to knowmore than theydo.This includeshaving a strong knowledge ofthe inventory, strong negotiationskills and a mastery of the besttechnology.

Incontrast,thoseinGenXandGen Y (born after 1964), don’tvalueexpertise in thesameway.Amajorsourceoffrictionbetweenolderagentsandyoungerclientshas todowithhowolderagentsapproachthisimportantissue.

Theolderagentsunderstandthevalueoftheirknowledgeandhowitcanhelpyoungerclientsachieve

See PLUG INTO GEN X on page 10

different approaches

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10 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

theirrealestategoals.So, itcanbeparticularlyfrustratingforthemwhen younger clients seem toignorewhattheyhavetosay.

The model for 2011:

The Trusted

Resource Model

Thenewmodelfor2011iswhatIcall“TheTrustedResourceModel.”

Most agents would agree thedeals that go the most smoothlyarethoseinwhicheveryoneworkstogether. This team approachcreatesawin-winenvironmentforvirtually everyone involved. Thismodel is neither agent-centricnorclient-centric.

InthemoretraditionalTrusted Adviser Model,the agent often tells theclient what to do. Thechallenge is that mostpeople want to be inchargeof theirownde-cisionmaking.

The Trusted ResourceModel establishes the agent asa conduit of information. Theagent’sroleistoprovidethebestinformationpossible,sothebuyerorsellercanmake thebestdeci-sionpossible.

To illustrate, it’s commonforagentstorecommendlistprices on a listing appoint-ment. The strongest agentswill also outline a 90-daymarketingplanthattheywilluse tosell theproperty.ThisapproachfallsintotheTrustedAdvisermodel.

In the Trusted ResourceModel, the agent outlines a90-day marketing plan andthenasks theseller for inputabout which services the

sellerwouldliketouseinmarket-ing the property. The agent alsoprovides the comparable salesinformation.Thekeypointofdif-ferentiationhere,however,ishowthisishandled.

In the Trusted ResourceModel,instead of telling the seller, “Youshould list your property at$244,500,”theagentwouldsaythe following: “As you can seefromcomparablesales,theprop-ertiesinthisareaaresellingfrom$120 to $150 per square foot.Theproperties thathavesold for$140 to $150 per square footwereallbuiltinthelastfiveyears.

“Propertieswithamenitiessimilarto yours that were built in the1960s are well maintained andhavenotbeenupdated.Theyhavebeen selling for $120 to $135persquarefoot.Baseduponthese

The Trusted Resource Model

puts the agent in the position

to provide access to the

information and knowledge

needed to close the deal.

The client determines what and

how to use that information.

numbers, where would you liketo position your house in themarketplace?”

Thepowerofthistrustedresourceapproachisthatitworkswithallgenerations. While the boomersmay appreciate the fact that anagenthassearchedoutandcom-piled the information they need,Gen Xers may appreciate beingdirected to where they can findthe information. Those fromGenYmayprefer todo theirownre-search,buttheytendtocheckwiththeirfriendsratherthansearchingexclusivelyontheirown.

The Trusted Resource Modelputs the agent in the position toprovideaccesstotheinformationandknowledgeneededtoclosethedeal. The client determines whatandhowtousethatinformation.

Infact,themostimportantthingfor real estate agents to keep inmindinalmostanyaspectof therealestatetransactionis:“It’snotyourhouse,it’snotyourmortgageandit’snotyourdecision.”

Thescriptthatillustratesthisandisagreatwaytoendalmostanyclose is this: “It’s yourhouse. It’s

your decision. Whatwouldyouliketodo?”

If you’re looking fora way to work with allgenerations that reallyworks, make yourselfinto your clients’ mosttrustedresource.Bernice Ross, chief executiveofficerofRealEstateCoach.com,is a national speaker, trainer

and author of the National Associationof REALTORS®, No.1 best seller, Real Es-tate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success. Hear Ross’ five-minute daily realestateshow,justnamed“newandnotable”byiTunes,atwww.RealEstateCoachRadio.com.YoucancontactheratBernice@RealEstate-Coach.comor@BRossonTwitter.

PLUGINTOGENXcontinued from page 9

different approaches

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Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 11

2010 IN REVIEW

Seizing Windows of OpportunityDespitethemarketchallengesin2010,theRaleighRegionalAssociationofREALTORS®continuedtoprovidevaluableresourcesandvaluetomembers.

Government AffairsThe RRAR Government Affairs

Department and Committee fo-cused on continuing educationabout changing laws and regu-lations, lobbying and advocacy,and REALTOR® Political ActionCommittee(RPAC)fundraising.

TheGovernmentAffairsCommit-tee,headedbyChristinaDrespofe-Realty,hostedeighteducationalmeetings on such topics as mar-keting green homes; Real EstateSettlementProceduresAct(RESPA)changes and closing attorneyguidance;HomeAffordableFore- See 2010 IN REVIEW on page 12

RPAC-supported

candidates were

successful in 11

of the 12 political

races in 2010 –

a 92 percent

average.

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closure Alternatives (HAFA) andHome Affordable ModificationProgram(HAMP)federalhousingassistanceprograms;andlegisla-tiveupdatesfromNorthCarolinaAssociationofREALTORS®.

The committee also participat-ed in some joint forumswith theTriangleCommunityCoalition,in-cludingoneoncommerciallendingpracticesandforecast.

GovernmentAffairsDepartmentstaff took REALTOR® grassrootslobbyiststotheGeneralAssemblyinJuneandtoWashington,D.C.,aspartof theyearly“handson”lobbying for members. “Fewthingsareasrewardingaswhenmembers are put together withtheir elected officials in an envi-ronment where they can be trueadvocatesfortheirindustry,”saidTara Robbins, RRARGovernmentAffairsdirector.

TheGovernmentAffairsCommit-teecontinueditsmissionofindustryadvocacythroughcandidateinter-

viewsandassessments.Theinter-viewprocessisatwo-wayoppor-tunitytolistentocandidatesabouttheirpositionandphilosophy,andsharetheREALTOR®positionsandphilosophy.REALTOR®andRPAC-supportedcandidatesweresuccess-fulin11ofthe12politicalracesin2010,a92percentaverage.

RPACfundraisingwaschalleng-ing again in 2010, asmembersfacedalessrobustmarketandtheendoftheFirst-TimeHomeBuyerTax Credit. Even in the toughmarket, RRAR raisedmore RPACmoney than any other localassociation in North Carolina.ThankyoutoallourmemberswhosupportedRPAC!

TheGovernmentAffairsDepart-ment also helped to support theTriangle REALTORS® LeadershipAcademybypresentingahalf-daygovernmentandpoliticsprograminwhichelectedofficialsandcityand county managers sharedleadershipstories.

Membership ServicesRRAR President Theresa Clark

andthe2010BoardofDirectorswereinductedandhonoredattheInauguralBallJan.15,andCarolynKasdorfwasawardedREALTOR®ofTheYear.

2009 President John WoodshostedtheDirectorsAppreciationDinneronApril27atGiorgio’s.

A series of RRAR membershipmeetingsincludedanFHA203(k)Orientation Session, Down Pay-ment Assistance Seminar, AMarketing Seminar with RossiSpeaks, Short Sales SeminarandHotTopicswithMiriamBaeroftheNorthCarolinaRealEstateCommission.

AcoupleofBOSS(BrokerOwnerSupportSystem)meetingsfeaturedSpiceUpYourMarketingwithRossiSpeaksandShortSalesAnswers.

The annual Raleigh RegionalAssociationofREALTORS®Charity

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 13

See 2010 IN REVIEW on page 14

Golf Tournament was at LonniePooleGolfCourse,NorthCarolinaStateUniversityCampusonJune7.

TheTopProducersCouncilwas31membersstrong.Withavarietyofsponsorsfortheyear,itofferedsix lunch meetings. The councilpresentedspeakerTamaraBunte,a master coach and owner ofTheInstituteforAdvancedResultsL.L.C.,formembershiponMarch24.Councilmembersgavebackto the community with donationsto10differentcharities.

YPN(YoungProfessionalNetwork)started the year off with ZanMonroe, an inspirational authorand speaker. That was followedbythreeotherlunchmeetingsandasummersocial.

RayLarcher,CEOandpresidentof RRAR, facilitated a one-day,all-daystrategicplanningsessionOct. 5 with 17 REALTORS® andfivestaffmembers.

RRAR Real Estate Trends hada full house Oct. 21. FeaturedspeakerswereStaceyAnfindsen,who provided local real estatestats;KennethAtkins,WakeCountyEconomicDevelopmentexecutivedirector;andDr.MichaelWalden,aNorthCarolinaStateUniversityeconomist.

RRAR hosted its annual Christ-masPartyonDec.7.

DuringtheRRARChristmasPartyandAwardsCeremony,membersrecognized the 2010 officers,directors,committeeschairs,andHall of Fame recipients DianaLambeth, Lanse Houston andMaryEdnaWilliams.Forthefirsttime,RRARpresentedtheEmeritus

Award,honoringREALTORS®whohavebeen in the industry for40years.2010recipientswere:ZackBacon,RobertDodd,J.C.Glenn,Carol Fortune, Beverly Ford, G.Smedes York, Hal Worth, JohnMoriseyandPatJuby.

The Professional StandardsCommittee’s annual training fordirectorsandcommitteememberswas instructed by Vicki Ferney-hough on Feb. 4. Three casesbroughtbeforethecommitteeledtoonearbitrationandtwoethicsproceedings.

TheRRARCompanyStore con-tinued to serve members in anoutstandingway.

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Estate agent Terry Benson hadtakena12-16monthpositionwiththeUSOandralliedRRAR’shelp.

FiveannualCommunity Service Committee Scholarshipstotaling$6,000weredistributed to localhighschoolseniorswithoutstandingcommunityserviceandacademicrecords.Recipientswere:NicholasSavage,$2,000,attendingNorthCarolina State University; SarahKline, $1,000, attending DukeUniversity;AshleyStacy,$1,000,attending East Carolina Univer-sity;KathrynHornaday,$1,000,attending North Carolina StateUniversity; and Dana Andersen,$1,000,attendingUNC-ChapelHill.

In addition to a donation of$500, volunteers worked at

The Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchentohelpfeedthehungry.

A$150donationwasgiventoThe Passage Home,anorganiza-tionthatassistswomenrecoveringfrom abuse, drugs, jail, etc., byteachingthemskillsthatwillhelpthemprovidefortheirfamilies.Thedonation was used to purchaseknittingneedlesandsupplies.

Atotalof$1,000wasdonatedtoThe Miracle League of the Triangletohelpenablechildrenwith disabilities to enjoy the funand team spirit of playing base-ballonaspeciallydesignedfieldat Adams Elementary school inCary.Volunteersactedasbuddies,cheerleadersand coaches to thechildren.Everyoneisawinneratthesegames!

Sevenvolunteerssetaside timetoreadtostudentsatHope Ele-mentary.Inaddition,thecommit-tee supported Operation SchoolBell, which provided backpacks

Community Service Committee

Workingwithabroadspectrumof organizations, the Commu-nity Service Committee strives togivebacktothecommunityeveryyearthroughvolunteereffortsanddonations.Despitethechallengesof 2010, this year was noexception.Committeemembersandother board members providedmuch-needed resources andservices to an expanded list oflocalcharities.

Members joined in for twoSupport Our Troops dona-tiondrives,which sentabout20to 25 boxes of collected itemseach time to the largest USOdistributioncenterinBaghdad.Real

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 15

See 2010 IN REVIEW on page 18

filledwithnewclothingandshoesformorethan800disadvantagedelementaryschoolchildrenthrough-out the Triangle. In addition toa $1,000 donation, commit-tee volunteers sorted clothing fortheprogram.

A$1,000donationwasmadetothePaul McCarthy Scholar-ship,acommunityservice-basedscholarship at North CarolinaStateUniversity.

About900angelswereadoptedin 2010 Project Angel Tree,fulfilling Christmas wishes formore than 200 children. Thanksto all who participated for yourkindness and generosity. Andthanksalsotoeveryonewhosup-ported our first Dine Out Night,whichhelpedtoprovidethenec-essaryfundstocoveranyangelswhohadnotbeenadopted.

A$250donationwasmadetohelpaCentralizedShowingServiceassistant manager who lost hisparents,houseandpossessionsin

afire.Therentedhomehadbeenuninsured.Additionalfundswereused topurchaseclothing forhisfamily and help pay for tempo-rary housing while his daughterunderwentburncentertreatment.

Triangle REALTORS® Leadership Academy

RRAR offered its third annual2010 Triangle REALTORS® Lead-ership Academy, with MortyJaysonasdean.

According to Diana Braun a2010graduate:

“TRLA was an amazing  experience. 

“When I first considered applying to the academy, I reviewed the course schedules for the eight learning modules, covering leadership concepts, communication skills, planning and administration,  

team building, media training and public relations, financial programs, government affairs,  etc., and felt the value was well worth the money and time. Any time you invest in  your personal and professional  growth, you take away new skill sets that last a lifetime.

“One of my favorite experiences came from visiting the legislators  in downtown Raleigh and  advocating for our profession  on a pending bill. 

“Meeting the academy members  in our class and getting to know them was a blessing! We have become friends for life! 

“This opportunity has enriched my life, and I would encourage  others to apply to the academy 

16 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

RRAR Member Judy McCreeryand her family have been busythis spring supporting their sonScottyMcCreeryinhissuccessfulstintonAmericanIdol.

WhennotinLosAngelesrootingfor Scotty, the family resides inGarner.Atprint,Scottywasinthefinalfiveandholdingstrong.The17yearoldhasadeepaltovoiceandsingscountrylikeastar.

RRAR members have ralliedto support Scotty and wish himwell.Membersagreethathehasagreat chanceof becoming the

nextAmericanIdol.In any case, we know he has

a promising future in the musicindustry.

REALTOR and American Idol Mom®

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 17

The annual Triangle Commer-cial Association of REALTORS®awardsceremonyattheCarolinaCountryClubinRaleighinMarchincluded the presentation of the2011 Commercial REALTOR® ofthe Year Award, in addition toother special Frontier Awards,andtheinductionofmembersintoTCAR Million Dollar Clubs andtheLifetimeMillionDollarClub.

Smedes YorkofYorkPropertieswasnamedthe2011CommercialREALTOR® of the Year, the mostprestigious of the Triangle Com-mercialAssociationofREALTORS®(TCAR) Frontier Awards. In hisacceptance speech, York askedthathiscolleaguesgetinvolvedintheircommunityandvolunteerforanorganization that is importanttothem.

This year’s awards ceremo-ny guest speaker was John Forslund, National HockeyLeague broadcasting and Versusannouncer.Forslund,whoisinhis16th season as the Hurricanes’television play-by-play announc-er, 20th year with the club and27thyearinprofessionalhockey,spokeaboutthisyear’sHurricanehockeyseason.

EveryyearFrontierAwardsnomi-nationsaresubmitted,andapanelofpastpresidentsandREALTORS®oftheYearselectrecipientsbasedon qualifications that have beendeterminedbythegroup.

Smedes York (left) of York Properties ac-cepts the 2011 Commercial REALTOR® of the Year Award, presented by Frank Quinn of Colliers International, the 2010 winner.

TCARPresentsFrontier Awards

Congratulations, Commercial REALTOR®

of the Year!Smedes YorkofYorkProper-

ties,2011CommercialREALTOR®of the Year, has spent much ofhis career in real estate andconstruction, and has served thecommunityinmanyways.

In the late 1970s and early1980s, he was a Raleigh CityCouncilmember,representingDis-trictE.From1979through1983,he served two terms as mayorofthecityofRaleigh.

York has been a member ofnumerous boards and the recipi-entofmanyaccolades,includinginductionintotheRaleighRegionalAssociation of REALTORS® HallofFame.

Other Special RecognitionFrontierAwardsincluded:

Pete CheneryofRealtyWorld–President’sCircleAwardEtherlene PierceofHilltopHome–CommunityLeaderAwardElizabeth RaifordofTacquire–WilliamP.EyermanAwardE. Michael KornegayofCommercialAssociates–BusyBrokerAwardRaleigh-Durham International Airport(RDU)forthenewterminal–DevelopmentoftheYearAwardTrail Blazer Awards recog-

nized up-and-coming firms,and the Sales TransactionAwardandLeaseTransactionoftheYearAwardrecognizedsalesaccomplishments.

InducteesfortheMillionDol-lar Clubs represent the fivespecialties in the commercialindustry: sales, land sales,office leasing, retail leasingand industrial leasing. Thisyear, TCAR inducted into theLifetime Million Dollar Clubbrokers who earned MillionDollar Club Awards for thelastfiveyears.

TCAR President Shane Bullof Grubb and Ellis|ThomasLinderman Graham presidedovertheawardsceremony.

Smedes York Wins Top Commercial REALTOR® Award

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in the future. Sharing my expe-rience with several colleagues led two of them to apply for the class of 2011. They both were accepted into the program,  and they, too, see the value  in Triangle REALTOR® Leadership Academy! 

“Thank you to the Raleigh Regional Association of  REALTORS® for bringing together great educators for the TRLA. If I had to give you one word for this overall  experience it would be: 

Awesome!”

Congratulations to the class of2010: Colleen Blondell, DianaBraun,SamBrooks,DavidChance,MargaretCohen,JohnHartofelis,Jean Hedges, Mike Montpetit,ChristyNew,AllanNielsen,DawnNuzzi, Mollie Owen, MargaretSophie, Christina Valkanoff andNormaYoung.

Housing Opportunity Committee

TheHousingOpportunityCom-mitteehosteditsannual“HousingHero”seminarinearlyfall.Morethan 100 members attended to

hearBarbaraHessandKatDriscolfrom the NC Housing FinanceAgency speak on the $8,000down-paymentassistanceprogramand tax credits available to first-time home buyers. Mel Ellis,directorofSingleFamilyHousingPrograms for the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture RuralDevelopment in North Carolina,provided information on USDAmortgage programs and fund-ing for these programs in FiscalYear2011.

The committee hosted a phonebank telethon at the NBC 17newsstation.Theon-airpaneloflocal REALTORS®, attorneys andlenders answeredquestions frompotential buyers and sellers con-cerning credit, loan modificationandrefinancing,amongothers.

The Workforce Housing certifi-cateprogramwasanotherprojectoftheHousingOpportunityCom-mittee. Created by Homes4NC,the North Carolina WorkforceHousing Specialist (WHS) certi-fication program is designed toprovide REALTORS® with expertknowledge on the federal, stateandlocalhousingprograms,andresourcesavailabletoservework-forcehousingbuyersearninglessthan the areamedian income. Italsohelpsspecialistsconnectwith

like-minded professionals andorganizations that are increas-ing housing opportunities withinthecommunity.

TheHousingOpportunityCom-mitteemadea$5,000donationtoBuildersofHope,whosemissionis to increase the availability ofhigh-quality,safe,affordablework-force housing options. Throughinnovativereuseandrehabilitation,Builders of Hope incorporateseconomicbenefits,environmentalstewardshipandsocialsolutions.As social entrepreneurs, BuildersofHopesustainablyrevitalizesat-riskcommunities.

Continuing EducationDuring2010,RRARoffered50

continuingeducationclasses,whichdrewmorethan3,400attendees.

TheassociationalsoofferedtheShort Sale & Foreclosure certifi-cation twice in early 2010 withgreatsuccess!

Since1995,morethan69,800have taken RRAR’s continuingeducationprograms.

One Eleven PlaceIn 2010, RRAR continued to

showcaseitsfacilitythroughOneElevenPlace,whichmanagesRRARfacilityrental.Morethan15,000

continued from page 15

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 19

people attended216 social andcorporate events at RRAR. Func-tions included networking eventsthat increased visibility, such asbusinessexposandbridalshows.

RRAR’s ballrooms, boardroomand garden patio are availablefor a full range of business andsocial functions,andOneElevenPlaceoffersallofthekeyelementsfor a successful and memorableoccasion. Services range fromunique catering to an expansivelistofaudio-videoequipment.

Triangle MLS, Inc.The Triangle Multiple Listing

Service launched a redesignedwebsiteatwww.TriangleMLS.com.It features the new TMLS brandand includes new tools and im-provements designed specificallywiththeTMLSuserinmind.

Newfeaturesincludeimprovednavigation,videosonlocalmarketconditions, live chat with HelpDesk associates, the ability tosubscribe to RSS (Really SimpleSyndication) feeds and more.These features are enhanced bythe single sign-on functionality,whichallowsuserstosign-ononcetoconductalloftheirbusiness.

Green fields were added tothe MLS system to help brokers

accurately describe the greenattributes of a property. Thesefields are searchable in theMLSsystem,sosubscriberscaneasilyfind homes with green featuresand/or certifications. It makesfindingahomeeasier forbuyersinterestedinpropertieswithgreenfeatures and allows appraisersto consider green features whendeterminingthevalueofahome.

Residentialsolddatawasaddedto the Internet Data Exchangeprogram. The ability to displayalimitedamountofsolddataonIDX websites increases the site’svaluetoconsumersandgivesIDXwebsitesacompetitiveadvantageovermostnationalsites.

New features were added topublic record (Realist) searcheswithintheMLSsystem.Theremain-ing88countiesofNorthCarolinawereadded,pre-foreclosureandbank-owned properties are nowflagged for easy identification inallcounties,and15fieldsofdatawere integrated from the MLSsystemintoRealist.

TheDocumentManagerandFaxManager tools were integratedwiththeMLSsystemtogivesubscrib-ers the ability to streamline theirdocumentmanagementprocesses.

TMLShostedMLSRefreshandtheTechnologyFairandTradeShow.

TheMLSRefresheventprovidedsubscribers an opportunity to re-fresh their skills, learnsomenewtips, and check out some of theproductsandservicesavailabletoTMLSsubscribers thatcanbeuti-lizedintheirrealestatebusiness.

AttheTechnologyFairandTradeShow,participantsheardnationalspeakerDickBetts talkabout thepower of social networking. Par-ticipantsalsohadtheopportunitytotalkwithmorethan25vendorsat the fair about technology thatcanhelpthemwiththeirbusiness.

Turn to the next

page for an over-

view of 2010 TMLS

statistics.

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This Year Last Year PercentChange

5-Year Average

This YearYear-to-

Date

Last YearYear-to-

Date

Percent Change

5-Year Year-to-

Date Average

Oct 3,184 3,743 - 14.9% 3,933 41,110 39,763 + 3.4% 45,135Nov 2,707 2,692 + 0.6% 3,095 43,817 42,455 + 3.2% 48,230Dec 2,118 2,477 - 14.5% 2,526 45,935 44,932 + 2.2% 50,756

Pending Sales Oct 1,410 2,101 - 32.9% 1,990 18,063 19,972 - 9.6% 24,138Nov 1,409 1,342 + 5.0% 1,665 19,472 21,314 - 8.6% 25,803Dec 1,185 1,237 - 4.2% 1,462 20,657 22,551 - 8.4% 27,265

Closed Sales Oct 1,333 2,107 - 36.7% 2,127 17,840 18,363 - 2.8% 23,847Nov 1,306 2,128 - 38.6% 1,886 19,146 20,491 - 6.6% 25,733Dec 1,497 1,635 - 8.4% 1,864 20,643 22,126 - 6.7% 27,597

Days on Market Until Sale Oct 111 95 + 16.9% 89 104 101 + 2.4% 90Nov 111 96 + 16.4% 93 104 101 + 3.5% 90D 112 103 + 8 7% 95 105 101 + 3 9% 90

December 2010New Listings

Dec 112 103 + 8.7% 95 105 101 + 3.9% 90Median Sales Price Oct $192,400 $180,000 + 6.9% $187,491 $189,300 $182,500 + 3.7% $186,640

Nov $195,200 $180,000 + 8.4% $185,694 $189,900 $182,000 + 4.3% $186,460Dec $185,550 $177,900 + 4.3% $186,960 $189,500 $182,000 + 4.1% $186,300

Average Sales Price Oct $228,724 $219,707 + 4.1% $231,001 $228,008 $223,561 + 2.0% $231,363Nov $239,375 $215,886 + 10.9% $229,739 $228,783 $222,764 + 2.7% $231,238Dec $227,527 $220,387 + 3.2% $231,262 $228,692 $222,588 + 2.7% $231,248

Total Active Listings Available Oct 19,472 17,490 + 11.3%Nov 18,598 17,198 + 8.1% -- -- -- -- --Dec 17,586 16,694 + 5.3%

Percent of List Price Oct 96.1% 96.9% - 0.8% 97.2% 96.4% 96.5% - 0.2% 96.4%Nov 96.3% 97.1% - 0.9% 97.0% 96.4% 96.6% - 0.2% 96.4%Dec 97.2% 96.4% + 0.8% 97.0% 96.4% 96.6% - 0.1% 96.4%

Housing Affordability Index Oct 177 176 + 0.7% 157 173 171 + 1.3%Nov 176 179 - 1.4% 161 174 172 + 1.0% --Dec 181 176 + 2.9% 160 174 172 + 1.1%

Months Supply of Inventory Oct 11.0 9.6 + 14.0%Nov 10.8 9.2 + 17.4% -- -- -- -- --Dec 10.2 8.9 + 14.5%

All data from Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Reports are created and maintained by 10K Research and Marketing.

Market Overview A Monthly Indicator from the Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

This Year Last Year PercentChange

5-Year Average

This YearYear-to-

Date

Last YearYear-to-

Date

Percent Change

5-Year Year-to-

Date Average

Oct 3,184 3,743 - 14.9% 3,933 41,110 39,763 + 3.4% 45,135Nov 2,707 2,692 + 0.6% 3,095 43,817 42,455 + 3.2% 48,230Dec 2,118 2,477 - 14.5% 2,526 45,935 44,932 + 2.2% 50,756

Pending Sales Oct 1,410 2,101 - 32.9% 1,990 18,063 19,972 - 9.6% 24,138Nov 1,409 1,342 + 5.0% 1,665 19,472 21,314 - 8.6% 25,803Dec 1,185 1,237 - 4.2% 1,462 20,657 22,551 - 8.4% 27,265

Closed Sales Oct 1,333 2,107 - 36.7% 2,127 17,840 18,363 - 2.8% 23,847Nov 1,306 2,128 - 38.6% 1,886 19,146 20,491 - 6.6% 25,733Dec 1,497 1,635 - 8.4% 1,864 20,643 22,126 - 6.7% 27,597

Days on Market Until Sale Oct 111 95 + 16.9% 89 104 101 + 2.4% 90Nov 111 96 + 16.4% 93 104 101 + 3.5% 90D 112 103 + 8 7% 95 105 101 + 3 9% 90

December 2010New Listings

Dec 112 103 + 8.7% 95 105 101 + 3.9% 90Median Sales Price Oct $192,400 $180,000 + 6.9% $187,491 $189,300 $182,500 + 3.7% $186,640

Nov $195,200 $180,000 + 8.4% $185,694 $189,900 $182,000 + 4.3% $186,460Dec $185,550 $177,900 + 4.3% $186,960 $189,500 $182,000 + 4.1% $186,300

Average Sales Price Oct $228,724 $219,707 + 4.1% $231,001 $228,008 $223,561 + 2.0% $231,363Nov $239,375 $215,886 + 10.9% $229,739 $228,783 $222,764 + 2.7% $231,238Dec $227,527 $220,387 + 3.2% $231,262 $228,692 $222,588 + 2.7% $231,248

Total Active Listings Available Oct 19,472 17,490 + 11.3%Nov 18,598 17,198 + 8.1% -- -- -- -- --Dec 17,586 16,694 + 5.3%

Percent of List Price Oct 96.1% 96.9% - 0.8% 97.2% 96.4% 96.5% - 0.2% 96.4%Nov 96.3% 97.1% - 0.9% 97.0% 96.4% 96.6% - 0.2% 96.4%Dec 97.2% 96.4% + 0.8% 97.0% 96.4% 96.6% - 0.1% 96.4%

Housing Affordability Index Oct 177 176 + 0.7% 157 173 171 + 1.3%Nov 176 179 - 1.4% 161 174 172 + 1.0% --Dec 181 176 + 2.9% 160 174 172 + 1.1%

Months Supply of Inventory Oct 11.0 9.6 + 14.0%Nov 10.8 9.2 + 17.4% -- -- -- -- --Dec 10.2 8.9 + 14.5%

All data from Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Reports are created and maintained by 10K Research and Marketing.

Annual Review Provided by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

34,41136,072

34,215

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

April$173,000

$180,000$190,000

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

January through April

36,07234,215

24,92422,126

20,643

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Closed Sales

76 78

91

101105

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Days on Market Until Sale

- 5.1% - 27.2% - 11.2% + 3.7% + 15.8% + 10.9%- 6.7% + 3.9%

34,41136,072

34,215

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

April$173,000

$180,000$190,000

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

January through April

36,07234,215

24,92422,126

20,643

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Closed Sales

76 78

91

101105

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Days on Market Until Sale

$180,000$190,000 $190,000

$182,000$189,500

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Median Sales Price98.3% 98.0% 97.2% 96.6% 96.4%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Percent of List Price Received at Sale

- 5.1% - 27.2% - 11.2% + 3.7% + 15.8% + 10.9%

+ 5.6% - 0.0% - 4.2%- 0.3% - 0.8% - 0.7%

- 6.7% + 3.9%

+ 4.1%- 0.1%

All data from Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Reports are created and maintained by 10K Research and Marketing.

Annual Review Provided by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

34,41136,072

34,215

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

April$173,000

$180,000$190,000

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

January through April

36,07234,215

24,92422,126

20,643

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Closed Sales

76 78

91

101105

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Days on Market Until Sale

- 5.1% - 27.2% - 11.2% + 3.7% + 15.8% + 10.9%- 6.7% + 3.9%

34,41136,072

34,215

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

April$173,000

$180,000$190,000

98.4% 98.3% 98.0%

January through April

36,07234,215

24,92422,126

20,643

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Closed Sales

76 78

91

101105

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Days on Market Until Sale

$180,000$190,000 $190,000

$182,000$189,500

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Median Sales Price98.3% 98.0% 97.2% 96.6% 96.4%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Percent of List Price Received at Sale

- 5.1% - 27.2% - 11.2% + 3.7% + 15.8% + 10.9%

+ 5.6% - 0.0% - 4.2%- 0.3% - 0.8% - 0.7%

- 6.7% + 3.9%

+ 4.1%- 0.1%

All data from Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Reports are created and maintained by 10K Research and Marketing.

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 21For further information regarding TMLS Market Trends and Analysis please visit: www.trianglemls.com

A RESEARCH TOOL PROVIDED BY TRIANGLE MLS

2010 2011 + / – 2010 2011 + / –

New Listings 5,629 4,764 - 15.4% 14,046 11,552 - 17.8%

Closed Sales 1,847 1,596 - 13.6% 4,135 3,833 - 7.3%

Median Sales Price* $183,000 $181,050 - 1.1% $179,500 $180,000 + 0.3%

Average Sales Price* $221,455 $211,738 - 4.4% $217,646 $217,302 - 0.2%

Total Dollar Volume (in millions)* $408.4 $337.6 - 17.3% $898.9 $831.8 - 7.5%

Percent of Original List Price Received* 92.6% 91.5% - 1.1% 92.0% 91.4% - 0.7%

Percent of List Price Received* 96.5% 95.9% - 0.6% 96.2% 95.9% - 0.3%

Days on Market Until Sale 104 131 + 26.1% 105 127 + 20.6%

Inventory of Homes for Sale 19,207 17,733 - 7.7% -- -- --

Months Supply of Inventory 10.1 10.7 + 6.5% -- -- --

- 15.4% - 13.6% - 1.1%Change in

New ListingsChange in

Closed SalesChange in

Median Sales PriceEntire Triangle Region

Local Market Update – March 2011

* Does not account for seller concessions. | Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.

March Year to Date

14,046

Year to Date 2010 2011

5,6294 764

March 2010 2011

** Each dot represents the change in median sales price from the prior year using a 6-month weighted average. This means that each of the 6 months used in a dot are proportioned according to their share of sales during that period. | All data provided by Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. | Powered by 10K Research and Marketing.

Entire Triangle Region

All MLS

- 8%

- 6%

- 4%

- 2%

0%

+ 2%

+ 4%

+ 6%

+ 8%

+ 10%

1-2008 7-2008 1-2009 7-2009 1-2010 7-2010 1-2011

Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)** b

a

14,046

4,135

11,552

3,833

New Listings Closed Sales

Year to Date 2010 2011

- 7.3%- 17.8%

5,629

1,847

4,764

1,596

New Listings Closed Sales

March 2010 2011

- 13.6%- 15.4%

share of sales during that period. | All data provided by Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. | Powered by 10K Research and Marketing.

- 8%

- 6%

- 4%

- 2%

0%

+ 2%

+ 4%

+ 6%

+ 8%

+ 10%

1-2008 7-2008 1-2009 7-2009 1-2010 7-2010 1-2011

Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)** b

a

14,046

4,135

11,552

3,833

New Listings Closed Sales

Year to Date 2010 2011

- 7.3%- 17.8%

5,629

1,847

4,764

1,596

New Listings Closed Sales

March 2010 2011

- 13.6%- 15.4%

22 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

20

10 I

N R

EVIE

W

A RESEARCH TOOL PROVIDED BY TRIANGLE MLS

2010 2011 + / – 2010 2011 + / –

New Listings 2,891 2,410 - 16.6% 7,344 5,843 - 20.4%

Closed Sales 1,028 873 - 15.1% 2,249 2,010 - 10.6%

Median Sales Price* $204,375 $200,000 - 2.1% $200,989 $200,000 - 0.5%

Average Sales Price* $252,085 $237,548 - 5.8% $247,568 $239,568 - 3.2%

Total Dollar Volume (in millions)* $259.1 $207.4 - 20.0% $556.8 $481.5 - 13.5%

Percent of Original List Price Received* 92.9% 92.5% - 0.4% 92.8% 92.2% - 0.6%

Percent of List Price Received* 97.0% 96.5% - 0.5% 96.9% 96.5% - 0.4%

Days on Market Until Sale 102 125 + 22.7% 104 121 + 17.1%

Inventory of Homes for Sale 9,375 8,348 - 11.0% -- -- --

Months Supply of Inventory 9.0 9.6 + 6.2% -- -- --

- 16.6% - 15.1% - 2.1%Change in

New ListingsChange in

Closed SalesChange in

Median Sales PriceWake County

Local Market Update – March 2011

* Does not account for seller concessions. | Activity for one month can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size.

March Year to Date

7,344

Year to Date 2010 2011

2 891

March 2010 2011

** Each dot represents the change in median sales price from the prior year using a 6-month weighted average. This means that each of the 6 months used in a dot are proportioned according to their share of sales during that period. | All data provided by Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. | Powered by 10K Research and Marketing.

Wake County

All MLS

- 10%

- 5%

0%

+ 5%

+ 10%

+ 15%

1-2008 7-2008 1-2009 7-2009 1-2010 7-2010 1-2011

Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)** b

a

7,344

2,249

5,843

2,010

New Listings Closed Sales

Year to Date 2010 2011

- 10.6%- 20.4%

2,891

1,028

2,410

873

New Listings Closed Sales

March 2010 2011

- 15.1%- 16.6%

share of sales during that period. | All data provided by Triangle Multiple Listing Service, Inc. | Powered by 10K Research and Marketing.

- 10%

- 5%

0%

+ 5%

+ 10%

+ 15%

1-2008 7-2008 1-2009 7-2009 1-2010 7-2010 1-2011

Change in Median Sales Price from Prior Year (6-Month Average)** b

a

7,344

2,249

5,843

2,010

New Listings Closed Sales

Year to Date 2010 2011

- 10.6%- 20.4%

2,891

1,028

2,410

873

New Listings Closed Sales

March 2010 2011

- 15.1%- 16.6%

For further information regarding TMLS Market Trends and Analysis please visit: www.trianglemls.com

www.OrleansHomes.com

What’s Behind Door Number...

$2000 Broker Bonus on any contract written by May 30, 2011 & Additional $1000 Broker Bonus on any home closing by June 30, 2011!

#48

#301

#63

#4

#3

HOMES NOW AVAILABLE:SOUTHAMPTONKnightsbridge Farmhouse208 Rockywalk Court4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths- Kitchen has maple cabinets, granite

counters & stainless steel gas appliances3,140 sq. ft. MLS# 1773941$319,000

WELDON RIDGE (ESTATES)Solebury Grand600 IvyShaw Rd.5 bedrooms & 4 full baths - Brick front & side entry garage

3714 sq. ft. MLS# 1768381$485,000

#331

Brookfield II104 Bridleboast Rd5 bedrooms & 4 full baths - .40 of an acre home-site- Large master suite w/ lots of closet space

3800 sq ft $474,900

WELDON RIDGE (GROVE)Monroe II Grand627 Sealine Drive3 bedrooms & 2.5 baths - End unit with screened porch - Granite counters, upgraded cabinets

& trim, double ovens, & gas cook top2335 sq. ft MLS#1773529$244,900

Monroe II Grand512 Sealine Drive3 bedrooms & 2.5 baths - End unit with tons of windows- Granite counters, upgraded cabinets

& stainless steel appliances2335 sq ft MLS# 1750883$242,798

Macon510 Sealine Drive3 bedrooms 2.5 baths - First floor master- Granite counters & upgraded cabinets- 2 car garage MLS# 1750876

$220,000

#73

REYNOLDS MILLWaterbury III Farmhouse A201 Forbes Road- 4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths- 42” maple cabinets in kitchen- Screened-in porch and large patio

2675 s.f. MLS# 1757668$259,990

#13TRINITY RIDGESolebury Grand Farmhouse210 Pathwood Lane- 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths & 1st floor guest suite- 4’ breakfast nook extension- Playroom on 2nd floor

3642 s.f. MLS# 1740659$359,000

AVAILABLE IN APRIL:

AVAILABLE IN MAY:

AVAILABLE IN MAY:

#1TRINITY RIDGEKnightsbridge Federalist100 Pathwood Lane4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths- Tray ceiling in dining room- Playroom on 2nd floor

3278 sq ft MLS# 1763171$360,839

#52

SOUTHAMPTONWaterbury III Farmhouse216 Rockywalk Court4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths- Gourmet kitchen

2,374 sq ft MLS# 1765971$263,495 SOLD

SOLD

#58REYNOLDS MILLProvidence Farmhouse A- 4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths- 8 ft. breakfast area extension- 42” maple cabinets & granite countertops

2688 s.f. MLS# 1773088$264,990

LEGEND OAKSKnightsbridge4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths$429,900

#16

SOLD

#59

#56

#55

#500

REYNOLDS MILLPortsmouth IV Farmhouse w/stone 4 Bedrooms & 3 Baths, Ranch plan- 42” maple cabinets & Corian countertops- Large front porch

2281 s.f. $252,990

SOUTHAMPTONProvidence II Classical w/Stone1305 Fenwick Parkway4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths- 9’ ceilings on 1st & 2nd floors- Open oak stairs & rear stairs

2,566 sq ft $271,715 ($30,000 Design Center Incentive!)

Bennet Federalist1307 Fenwick Parkway4 Bedrooms & 3 Baths- Flex room/bedroom 5 on 1st floor- Playroom on 2nd floor

2676 sq ft $280,595 ($30,000 Design Center Incentive!)

WELDON RIDGE (ARBOR)Bennet Farmhouse5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths & playroom$295,607

#501

Waterbury III2003 Ollivander Drive4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths2530 sq ft MLS# 1772560$286,612

#595

Westminster Federalist5 Bedrooms & 3 Baths- Guest suite on first floor- 2’ breakfast nook extension

3000 sq ft $322,225

SOLD

LEGEND OAKS CHAPEL HILL

919-967-6363 / Single Family Homes from the $370’s

SOUTHAMPTONDURHAM

919-484-4070 / Single Family Homes from the $240’s

TRINITY RIDGE DURHAM

919-484-4070 / Single Family Homes from the $300’s

WELDON RIDGECARY / 919-303-1982

The Estates- Single Family Homes from the $400’s The Arbor- Single Family Homes from the $200’s

The Grove- Townhomes from the $190’s

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

24 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

StephanieR.Anson,FlatFeeRealtyL.L.C.MartinJ.Arlander,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

EllenBeaver,AllenTateCo.Inc.EdwardK.BellJr.,1stSignalCorp.VaughnBerry-Daniel,AllenTateCo.Inc.LorettaBertolino,Re/MaxUnitedJenniferJ.Bishop,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

TeresaL.Bowen,KellerWilliamsAliciaN.Cadet,ColdwellBankerAdvantageGaryS.Calvert,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

JacquelineKellyCarrabba,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

ElizabethA.ClorKnight,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

PamelaA.Cola,FonvilleMoriseyDawnE.Coley,KellerWilliamsRealtySusanC.Conroy,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

ColleenE.Cox,Cox&CompanyPropertyManagementInc.

JaredL.Cozart,KellerWilliamsKristaM.Cutler,ExitRealtyFirstChoiceShannonM.Davis,KellerWilliamsAlexanderH.Denson,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

PatriciaY.Dillard,CarolinaRealtyMaxInc.RenaeEnglish,KellerWilliamsRobertD.EnglishJr.,KellerWilliamsCynthiaL.Faltisco,PrudentialYorkSimpsonUnderwood

JulieFarrell,Tate&HarrellInc.CarlosG.Febres,AllenTateCo.Inc.GaryFisher,NorthsideRealtyInc.StacyS.Fisher,SerenityHomes-By-HolmesR.E.EsmeraldaFletcher,SunshineRealtyL.L.C.LatonyaFoster,FonvilleMoriseyHeatherE.Franczak,RealtyWorldMolloy&Associates

AliciaFrazier,CityGateRealEstateServicesStevenM.Friedman,AllenTateCo.Inc.WendyJ.Gallovitch,ParamountRealtyMollyA.Galloway,BeazerHomesCeciliaF.Gelnar,CarolinaRealtyMaxInc.NicholasM.Giuggio,FathomRealtyGarryJ.Glover,PrudentialYorkSimpsonUnderwood

ErvinaGolden,PrudentialYorkSimpsonUnderwood

CharisseGreen,FonvilleMoriseyDanielJ.Gregory,CenterpointRealtyL.L.C.

DianaM.Gregory,SanMarcoInc.MirandaS.Gregory,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

NeetaD.Gropper,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

NicoleA.Hackworth,RochelleMoonRealtyDinaL.Hamad,NorthsideRealtyInc.JohnA.Hamilton,EquitySaverPlusRealtyThomasA.Harman,RyanRealtyKimHarrison,Re/MaxOneRealtyLawrenceW.Harrison,ParlerPropertiesL.L.C.JacquelynB.Harvey,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

BrianE.Hutchinson,TheNewHomeGroupRobbie-LaneS.Jackson,RealLivingPittmanProperties

LaurelM.Jawny,GarmanRealtyLisaM.Jeffries,CityGateRealEstateServicesKimberlyC.Johnson,TriumphRealtyInc.MichaelW.JohnsonIII,RichRealtyGroupBruceA.Jones,AllenTateCo.Inc.ThomasC.Jordan,CarolinaAuction&RealtyPatriciaD.Kiley,WeichertRealtors-TriangleAaronJ.KingJr.,ERAPacesettersRealtyJhansiKolla,RealTrianglePropertiesMichaelJ.Kroll,KellerWilliamsJeanM.Kunkel,PineGroveAppraisalAllenLee,LegacyRealEstatePropertiesWilliamT.Lemon,EquitySaverPlusRealtyRobertL.Liles,HomeTowneRealtyGroupRobertLittleJr.,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

JeffJ.Logsdon,HowardPerry&WalstonNewHomes

GregoryB.Lovette,KellerWilliamsHankMailand,FonvilleMoriseyHaileyE.Maroncelli,FathomRealtyWendyL.Marrello-Morrison,ChathamHomesRealty

ChrisMartin,FonvilleMoriseyMargaretMartin,FonvilleMoriseyBrittanyMcCullough,FonvilleMoriseyLindsayS.McGlennon,ChathamHomesRealtyChristopherC.McLaurin,ERAPacesettersRealtyRodneyMcNabb,ChampionRealtyInc.DavidC.Meeker,CarpenterRealEstateGroupLiMeng,CHKRealtyAdamMiller,PowellRealtyBrendaMiller,LindaCraft&Team,REALTORS®

KriselieD.Monserrate,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

MichelleMoore,AllenTateCo.Inc.

EdithB.Nelson,FlowersPlantationInfo&Sales

AtefeM.Northcutt,AllenTateCo.Inc.

BarryE.Oldham,EncoreProperties

OlumideA.Olurinmade,CovenantRealtyAssociatesL.L.C.

TammyM.Orebaugh,1stSignalCorp.

AubreyL.Palmer,AllenTateCo.Inc.

KimberlyA.Parker,FathomRealty

JoannePenezic,Regan&Co.

VictoriaP.Petraglia,CertifiedResidentialAppraisal

JeremyL.Pierce,KellerWilliams

MaryEllenPosedel,M/IHomesofRaleighL.L.C.

MaryE.Potter,RaleighCustomRealtyL.L.C.

LisaJ.Rison,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

AllisonRodrigues,GoldenRealty&Management

MiryamI.Rubio-Driggers,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

MichelleC.Russo,FonvilleMorisey

JohnW.Sanford,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

TanyaM.Sasser,NorthsideRealtyInc.

PiperM.Schlage,RaleighMetroProperties

SueA.Schoonderwoerd,NorthsideRealtyInc.

SujungShin,CityRealty&InvestmentGroup

BridgetA.Smith,KeenanRealty

CraigD.Smith,DanRyanBuildersNCL.L.C.

ThomasSpicci,D.R.HortonInc.

BradyJ.Stanley,PanRealtyL.L.C.

Joe-DonStevenson,ExitSelectRealty

AnnK.Straub,RealtyWorldonSalemStreet

DonnaSugar,BeazerHomes

PatrickM.Tobler,HorizonManagementCo.Inc.

TimothyTriggs,FonvilleMorisey

StephanieA.Trojan,KellerWilliams

MichaelD.Truman,KellerWilliams

LuisTurner,YoungsvilleRealtyInc.

WilliamJ.Ulmer,D.R.HortonInc.

MariaT.Venegas,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

PaulD.Virtue,ColdwellBankerAdvantage

LindsayWebb,FonvilleMorisey

JacquelineK.Weintraub,HowardPerry&WalstonRealty

JennifferA.Welch,FonvilleMorisey

KarlWhetzel,HowardPerry&WalstonNewHomes

KristiD.Wilkie,CastleCreekRealtyL.L.C.

W E L C O M E N E W M E M B E R S

If you would like to SPONSOR A NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION, please contact Betsy Ramsey at (919) 654-5400.

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 25

MEASURE WHAT MATTERS to Your Real Estate Site

See MEASURE WHAT MATTERS on page 26

BYGAHLORDDEWALD

One thing I consistently recom-mendtoclientsisthattheyinstalland monitor Web analytics. Noteveryonedoes,ofcourse.Butit’sdefinitely the starting point formaking websites better, in termsofaccomplishingbusinessgoals.

There can be lots of differentapproaches to a Web analyticsprogram.Infact,theremightevenbeasmanyuniqueusesforWebanalytics as there are differentreal estate websites that haveanalyticsinstalled.

Onecompanymaybemeasuringto calculate ROI (return on in-vestment) on paid advertising orsearchtrafficversussocialmediaefforts. Another company mightbeusinganalyticstolistentotheircustomers by reviewing keywordreportsandtrafficpatterns.Athirdcompanymightbeusinganalyticstoidentifyconversionratesfordif-ferentpaidadvertisingheadlines.Afourthmightbeusinganalyticstofigureoutifnewvisitorsbehavedifferentlythanrepeatvisitors.

Dependingonthegoalsofeachcompany, all of these approach-es are appropriate. There reallyisn’tasimple“fourmetricseveryREALTOR® must track day andnight or risk joining the careerpathofthefaxboy.”

Thatsaid,thereisanimportantguideline when setting up youranalyticsprogram:Measurewhatis important for your company’svalues as much as you measureforthebottomline.

Hopefullyyourcompany’svaluesalignneatlywithyourbottomlinealready.(Ifnot,thenthisshouldbeatopicforafuturecolumn.)

Herearesomeexamplesofmet-rics that might be aligned withyourcompanyvalues.

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE

Many real estate professionalspromote their high commitmentto customer service. You canmeasureyourperformanceinthisinseveralways.•Numberofsocialmediamentions

thatareexpressingpositivesenti-mentafterbeinghelpedinsomeway.(Usuallythesemessagesinclude“Thanks!”)

•Numberofqualitative/voice-of-customersurveysthatmention“easeofuse”ofwebsiteassomethinggoodaboutthesite.

•Numberofnon-realestatequestionsansweredviasocialmedia.(Answeringrealestatequestionsisn’toutstandingifyourbusinessisrealestate–it’sstandard.)

EXPERTISELikeoutstandingcustomerservice,

many real estate professionalsclaimtohaveexpertiseinageo-graphic region or property typeortypeofsale.Youcanputsomemeasurements in place to trackyourprogressinbeingtheexpert.

Hereareahandfulofmetricsrelatedtoexpertise:•Numberofquestionsrelated

toyourexpertiseanswered.•Numberofnewpagesrelated

toyourexpertisecreated.•Increaseinexpertise-topic

mailinglistdistribution.

26 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

MEASUREWHATMATTERScontinued from page 25

MEASURING FOR VALUES, MEASURING VALUES

The purpose of metrics andanalytics is to help you makebetter decisions so you can takebetter actions. If you aren’t surehow your Web analytics canreally relate directly to yourbottomline, start by measuringthings that encourage fulfillmentofyourbrandpromises.

Onceyouhaveasolidprogramin place that can directly relateonline activity to your companyrevenue, continue measuring thecompanyvaluesmetrics.Hopefullyyouwill seeadirect relationbe-tween your values-based metricsandyourbottomline-basedmetrics.

If you don’t see a relationshipbetween fulfilling your brandpromisesandanincreaseinyourbusiness, then perhaps your val-uesaren’tmatchedwellwith thepeople in your market or withyourcompany.

Either way, if you see no rela-tionship between your companyvaluesandyourbottomline, thenit’s probably a good time to re-viewyourvalues.

Ultimately, the kinds of thingswe measure will influence theactions we take each day. If allof your key metrics are strictlyfocused on the bottomline, youmay run the risk of losing yourcompany “soul.” Attaching per-formancemetricstoyourvaluesisawaytomaintainyourvision.

GahlordDewaldisthepresidentandjani-tor of Thoughtfaucet, a strategic creativeservicescompanyinBurlington,Vt.

Measure what is important for your company’s values as much as you measure for the bottomline.

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 27

Gone are the days where advertising alonedoes the job. The secret to having a steadystreamof clients today is to createapositivebuzzaboutyourbusiness.

Word-of-mouthmarketing is nothing new.Weallwantotherstosaypositivethingsaboutourbusinesses.Ifyouwouldliketogetpeoplebuzz-ingabouthowgreatyouandyourservicesare,herearesevengreatwaystodoit.

1. The best marketing buzz: a new listing sign with a “sold” rider in 72 hours

When a for-sale sign pops upinaneighborhood,theneighborsare always buzzing about theprice,thereasonstheirneighborsaremovingand,most important,whether the agent will get thejobdone.

Ifyouhaveareputationforsell-inghomesquickly,youwill likelyhavemoresellersseekingoutyourservices.Youalsocanexpectthatyoursellerswilltelleveryonetheyknowabouthowtheirhousesoldquicklyinthistoughmarket.

2. Help someone avoid foreclosure

Manypeoplehavetheimpressionthatmost realestateagentscareonly about themselves and theircommissions.Youcangetpeoplebuzzingabouthowgreatyouarebyhelpingdistressedpropertyownersfindasolutiontotheirsituation.

For example, if apast client isfacing a foreclosure sale, youcan tell them about the “ask forthenotestrategy”todelayorstoptheforeclosure.Youcanalsoreferthem toanorganization suchastheNationalAssociationofCon-sumerAdvocates,whichperformsforensic loanaudits todetermineif the lender violated any RESPA(RealEstateSettlementProceduresAct)orotherrequirements.

If the lenderdid so, theownernow has more leverage to workout a loan modification, a shortsaleorsomeothersolution.

3. Support your local teamTocreateapositivebuzzabout

your business, host a specialevent for people in your referraldatabase. Rent a bus and takeyourgueststothemostimportantaway game for your local highschoolorcollege.Provideplentyoffood,icecream,souvenirsandothergoodies.

Arrangeforaphotographerandpostthepicturestoyourwebsite.

See MARKETING BUZZ on page 29

7 Tips to Create Real Estate Marketing BuzzBYBERNICEROSS

There are literally thousands of ways to get people buzzing about you and your business. All it takes is a little creativity.

28 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

Thursday - May 26, 2011

The Annual Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® Charity Golf Tournament

Twelve Oaks Golf Course • Holly Springs (A Nicklaus Design Golf Course)

Players can register online at

www.RRAR.com Foursomes contact

Vicki Buckholz at vickib@rrar.com

or via phone at 919-654-5400, ext.216

REGISTER

Tournament Price* $75 Member Cost $85 Non-Member Cost

* Cost includes breakfast, green fees, driving range, beverages, prizes and lunch.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 8:00 AM Check In/Breakfast 8:30 AM Shot Gun Start 2:00 PM BBQ Lunch 2:30 PM Awards Ceremony

Proceeds from the event benefit the REALTOR® Foundation

of the Triangle.

You’re Invited...

Event Sponsors:

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 29

Sendoutthelinktoeveryonewhoattended,aswellastoanyalum-niyouhappentoknow.Whetheryourteamwinsorloses,everyonewillbe“buzzing”aboutthegreattimetheyhad.

4. Be “You-nique”Butch Grimes, a foreclosure/

probate specialist and presidentof WeTalkRealEstate.com uses avarietyofmethods togetpeoplebuzzing about his real estatebusiness. In addition to hostinga 24-7 radio show, Grimes em-phasizestheimportanceofbeing“You-nique.”

For example, Grimes has a20-foot-tall,inflatableopenhousesignthatheusestoattractvisitorstohisopenhouses.Tohelppeo-plefindhisopenhouses,hehaddirectionalsignsmadewithalife-sizedcutoutofhimattachedtothesign.Fromadistance,itlooksasifhe ispersonallystanding theredirectingyoutohisopenhouse.

Theonethinghedoesthatgetsthemostbuzz,however, is send-ing a chauffeur-driven limousinetopickhisclientsupatworkandtake them to the escrow to signtheirfinalclosingdocuments.Youcanimaginethebuzzthiscreatesamonghisclients,aswellastheircolleagues, who see them beingusheredintoalimousine.

5. Take advantage of social media and texting

Rather than being aggravatedwhen you work with a clientwho is more involved in textingthan interacting with you, take

advantageof this activity.Whenyou send your buyers informa-tionaboutthelistingsyouwillbeshowing them, include as manypicturesofthelistingsaspossible.

Next,askyourbuyerstoforwardthe information to their friendsviae-mailoronFacebook.Makeit a game. Ask their friends topredictwhich house your buyerswill like best. Everyone has fun.Youcanalsoprobablyexpectlotsof texting going back and forthabout which house will be thebuyers’favorite.

6. Help others build their businesses

Do you have a favorite drycleaneror restaurant?Doanyofyour clients own their own busi-nesses? If you are a customer,postavideo testimonial for themon Yelp.com as well as on theirLinkedIn.comprofile if they haveone. Normally, when someoneposts a testimonial for anotherperson’sbusiness,theywillrecip-rocatewithatestimonialforyou.

7. Give away a conversation starter

Manyagentsmarket theirbusi-nessesbygivingawaymagnets.In2005, Inventables.combegandistributing “squishy magnets.”These magnets feel like a pieceoffoamrubberandcanbeusedto close doors without the doorsslamming. Distributing these toyour geographical farm or onyour open houses will make agreat conversation starter andget people buzzing about theagent who gave them this niftylittlegiftitem.

Thereare literally thousandsofwaystogetpeoplebuzzingaboutyouandyourbusiness.Allittakesisalittlecreativity.Bernice Ross, chief executive officer ofRealEstateCoach.com,isanationalspeak-er, trainerandauthorof theNationalAs-sociationofREALTORS®,No.1best seller,Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success. HearRoss’five-minutedailyreal estate show, just named “new andnotable” by iTunes, at www.RealEstate-CoachRadio.com. You can contact her atBernice@RealEstateCoach.com or @BRossonTwitter.

MARKETINGBUZZcontinued from page 27

30 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

2 NewMemberOrientation,8:30a.m.to3p.m.

3 TriangleREALTORS®LeadershipAcademy

4-5NationalOpenHouseWeekend

7 CE:MandatoryUpdate,8:30a.m.to12:30p.m. Instructor:GeorgeBell

CE:TheFormsCourse,1:30p.m.to5:30p.m.Instructor:GeorgeBell

9 CE:MandatoryUpdate,8:30a.m.to12:30p.m. Instructor:TomMahlum

GovernmentAffairsCommitteeMeeting,11:30a.m.

CE:Understanding1031TaxFreeExchanges,1:30p.m.to5:30p.m.Instructor:TomMahlum

13 HousingOpportunityCommitteeMeeting,9:30a.m. to10:30a.m.

14 Happy Flag Day

15 SmallBusinessCouncil,8:45a.m.to10a.m.

16 NewMemberOrientation,8:30a.m.to3p.m.

20 Happy Father’s Day

21 CommunityServiceCommittee, noonto1p.m.

First day of summer

July 1 TriangleMLS3rdQuarter UserFeesDue

4 Independence Day,officeclosed

6 Women’sCouncilofREALTORS®

7 NewMemberOrientation,8:30a.m.to3p.m.

11 HousingOpportunityCommitteeMeeting, 9:30a.m.to10:30a.m.

13 HousingHeroSeminar,9a.m.

14 PropertyManagementCouncil

20 SmallBusinessCouncil,8:45a.m.to10a.m.

21 NewMemberOrientation,8:30a.m.to3p.m.

25 REALTOR®FoundationoftheTriangle,noonto3p.m.

27 GovernmentAffairsCommitteeBusiness Meeting,11a.m.

May4 CE:MandatoryUpdate,8:30a.m.to12:30p.m. Instructor:GeorgeBell

CE:BICAR,1:30p.m.to5:30p.m.Instructor:GeorgeBell

Women’sCouncilofREALTORS®

5 NewMemberOrientation,8:30a.m.to3:00p.m.

6 TriangleREALTORS®LeadershipAcademy

8 Happy Mother’s Day

9 HousingOpportunityCommittee,9:30a.m. to10:30a.m.

12 PropertyManagementCouncilGovernmentAffairs CommitteeMeeting,11:30a.m.

13-14FoundationDays,EastgatePark

16 CE:MandatoryUpdate,5:00p.m.to9:00p.m. Instructor:VickiFerneyhough

17 CommunityServiceCommittee,noonto1p.m.

18 SmallBusinessCouncil,8:45a.m.to11a.m. TriangleInternationalCouncilofREALTORS®

19 NewMemberOrientation,8:30a.m.to3p.m.

25 CE:MandatoryUpdate,8:30a.m.to12:30p.m. Instructor:DebbieLong

CE:BICAR,1:30p.m.to5:30p.m.Instructor:DebbieLong

26 AnnualCharityGolfTournament,TwelveOaks

27 TriangleREALTORS®LeadershipAcademy

30 Memorial Day,officeclosed

June1 CE:MandatoryUpdate,8:30a.m.to12:30p.m. Instructor:MarkGiven

CEElective:Foreclosure,ShortSales,REOs&Auctions,1:30p.m.to5:30p.m.Instructor:MarkGiven

Women’sCouncilofREALTORS®

TopProducersCouncil

RRARevents

Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 31

Someofus like topickupahammereverynowandthen.Ihavedoneitmyself.

I finished off my own 900-square-foot fin-ished basement years ago. Well, I did theframingmyself,butlefttheelectric,plumbing,HVAC,drywall,etc.,tosubcontractors.Iplanonsomedayfinishingthethird-flooratticinthehomeIliveinnow.

So if you do something like this, do you need to get a building permit?

Theanswerisyes, yes, yes.Hereiswhy.It’sbecomingahottopicintherealestateindustry.

Building Permits After the Fact Help Home SalesByJohnHagan

Whenit’stimetosellyourhome,mostrealestateagentswillmakeit clear in the listing that part ofthe square footage of the housewasnotpermitted.Thiscouldbea red flag for buyers, and canlowerthevalueofthehomeinthebuyer’seyes.

Real estate agents, appraisers,andevenlendersarepointingoutthese situations more and more.And, yes, there have been law-suits involving houses sold withnon-permittedsquarefootagethatwasnotdisclosed.

The other reason you need toget apermit is tomake sure thework is done in a safe manner.The city inspectors are there toenforcethecode,whichiswrittenin part to ensure safety for thehomeowner. Believe me, I haveseenwaytoomanyelectricalsafety

issuesinworkthatwasdonewith-outapermit.

Itisnotthatbigofadealtogeta permit before doing an addi-tion.Youfillout thecityapplica-tionandcallforcityinspectorsatcertainintervalstodotheinspec-tions. You address any concernsthecityinspectorshavealongtheway.At theend,yougetafinalinspection, and the city issues acertificateofoccupancy.

The cost is not huge. For in-stance, in Cary a 600-square-footbonus roomadditionwithabathroomwouldcostyouaround$450forthepermit.Thisisnotahugeportionofthewholeprojectbudget.

So, what if you had a projectdoneinyourhomewithoutabuild-ing permit? There is some good

news. Most of the cities aroundtheTrianglewillletyougetaper-mitnow,evenifitisyearslater.

Ifasituationarises,anditisgo-ing to jeopardize the saleof thehome,itispossibletogettheper-mitafter-the-fact.Ittakessomeex-pertise;somereworkof theareato bring it up to code, a goodlicensed electrician, HVAC tech-nician and/or plumber; and agood amount of paperwork andlegwork with the city inspectionandpermitoffice.

I have added a service to myhome inspection business called“After-the-Fact Permits.” It’s de-signedforthosewhoneedtogetthepermit,buttheyalreadycom-pletedtheprojectwithoutone.

32 REALTOR® Review Spring 2011

bits & pieces

Raleigh Associate Program is growing

The Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®

wouldliketorecognizeandacknowledgethefollow-ing2010RaleighAssociateProgrammembers:

Robert Bajakian,GuaranteedRateTracy Colburn,LeadingImagesSteve Cooper,PrimaryCapitalAdvisersDerreck Foreman,EastCarolinaMortgageJoseph Lee,PlatinumHomeMortgageSharon Lougee,AmericanHomeShieldBarb Multari,CorporateInvestorsMortgage

Combination Lock Boxes 10% OFF

Thisisthetimetostockuponourbestandmostreliablecombinationlockboxes.Inadditiontobeingreliableandsecure,wekeepcodesonfileforyou.

Listing Lights50% OFF WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Expandyourvisibility!Lightsarenowonly$37.50andsuppliesarelimited.Thisofferisnotavailablethroughtheonlinestore.

REALTOR® Water Bottles and Mugs10% OFF

A:Refreshandadvertise!Preparefortheheat–StockuponREALTOR®logowa-terbottlesandmugs.

Open House Balloon SignsON SALE $4.50

B:Theseopenhousesignsarerealattentiongrabbers!Regularly$7.50each,nowisagoodtimetostockup!

Franco Multari,CorporateInvestorsMortgageEric Sayer,WellsFargoHomeMortgage

Ifyouare inanalliedfieldoranycompany thatprovides products or services to the real estateindustry, we invite you to become a Raleigh As-sociate Program member. For more information,pleasecontactBetsyRamseyatbetsyr@rrar.comor(919)654-5400.

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Spring 2011 REALTOR® Review 33

Find Spring Savings at the REALTOR® Store!

Formoreinformation,call(919)654-7253orsendane-mailtostore@rrar.com.ClickheretovisittheREALTOR®Storeonline.

Hats for Sale!REDUCED TO $7.99

C:Great-lookingREALTOR®logokhakibaseballcapsprotectyoureyesandadvertise!Normally$12.99.

NEW: REALTOR® Polo Shirt

D:SpringintospringlookinggreatwiththenewREALTOR®polo!

NEW: Folding Purse Hooks$12.95

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NEW: Experience Results License Plate FramesONLY $3.50

F:Theseframesmeetlegalstandardsandallowyoutoadvertiseasyoudrive.

Saleofferscannotbecombinedwithotherdiscounts.

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JoinstateandlocalREALTOR®associationsacrossthe

countryinhostingthenation’slargestopenhouse

campaignSaturdayandSunday,June4‐5,2011ForoneweekendinJuneREALTORS®willholdopenhousesinneighborhoodsfromcoasttocoast,bringingvaluetobothbuyersandsellers.Theeventalsoprovidesatremendousopportunitytopromotethebenefitsofhomeownershipandcontinueanopendialoguewithconsumersaboutthehousingissuesthatmattermosttothem.PromotionalmaterialsandresourcesareavailableforREALTORS®andassociationsparticipatinginREALTOR®NationwideOpenHouseWeekend.Visitwww.realtor.org/topics/nationwideopenhouse.Formoreinformationonhowtogetinvolved,contactBarbaraMatthopouloswiththeChicagoAssociationofREALTORS®at312‐214‐5511orbmatthopoulos@chicagorealtor.com.