Your Lake Arrowhead REALTOR®

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Your Lake Arrowhead Realtor would like to share some local Lake Arrowhead Information with you.

We have several gas stations here in the Lake Arrowhead area where you can get a fill-up and MORE. The following are the locations in, or near, Lake Arrowhead for your convenience:

DEPOT  @ 26599 Pine Ave, Rim Forest CA 92378 (909) 336-0084. Right on Hwy 18 & Pine Ave.  Besides gas, you can grab a bite to eat and get your car washed!

FIVE POINTS General Store & Gas @ 26745 Hwy 189, Twin Peaks CA 92391 (909) 337-4400. On Hwy 189 & Grass Valley Rd. You can gas up and get a sandwich here (Subway).

CEDAR GLEN GAS STOP @ 231 N Hwy 173, Lake Arrowhead CA 92352 (909) 336-0916. Corner of Hwy 173 & Hook Creek.

UNION 76 @ 27423 Hwy 189, Blue Jay, CA 92317. (909) 337-8626. Across the street from Jensen’s Market.

Do you rely on FLOOR-TIME/UP-TIME to bring you business? If so, you may be creating a false sense of security. Honestly, though, floor time  can bring you clients. Providing a consumer picks up the phone and calls your company number. Or, if one waltzes in the door looking for a Realtor. And, certainly your company needs to have Realtors doing FLOOR-TIME/UP-TIME for just those instances.

But to reply completely on FLOOR-TIME/UP-TIME is not healthy for your business. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve put in my time, and I still do when I am needed (if a Realtor friend asks me to fill in). I don’t mind at all. However, I do NOT count on it solely to bring me business.

I know…I know… marketing onesself is not cheap. In these economic times, you probably can’t afford much in the way of print advertising: newspapers or magazine ads. There are other ways to get your name out to consumers, however. Below are a few ways to bring in business without sitting in the office praying some warm body appears (or calls) needing YOUR services.

OPEN HOUSES; The least expensive way to market yourself. All you need is an “Open House” sign (I bet your company has extras if you don’t own any). Do your OPEN HOUSE at a good location and you’re likely to be meeting and greeting people all day. If they don’t like the home you’re sitting, kick down the sign, get ‘em in your car and show them homes that better suit their needs (after you’ve pre-qualified them). Now you’re building rapor with these folks.

FARMING: There are several ways to farm:

• A. Walk, Talk & Knock (it doesn’t work in my area, we’re 50% occupancy), but in “Cookie Cutter” locations, put on some comfy shoes and head on out. Introduce yourself, hand them a business card and say “If you ever think of selling, please give me a call.”
• B. Mailings. Now this isn’t completely FREE, but it is fairly in-expensive. Decide the neighborhood you wish to farm, have postcards made up and work it. Be consistent. Many title companies will provide you with labels…all you have to do is tell them your farm location and ask for X amount around an address or specific location. Just ask
• C. Door Hangers.  Many Home Warranty companies will actually provide you with “Door Hangers,” FREE of charge. Of coarse it is advertising their company, but it normally states “Get a FREE Home Warranty” when you list or buy with me.”  Plus, there’s a slot for your business card.  This works if you don’t want to do the Walking, Knocking & Talking gig.

BLOGGING: FREE!!! Oh, you can spend $$$’s on a blog-site to be built, but if it’s not in your budget, there are FREE blogging platforms:  BLOGGER and WORDPRESS AND, of course, my fave, ACTIVERAIN. I won’t go on and on and on about ACTIVERAIN, except to say that  AR is the reason this has been my greatest business year, ever! I learned all I know about blogging, here.   Am I an expert? No. I’m just a blogger.

What do I blog about?  I hear this question ALL the time. The answer; “Put yourself in a buyer’s or seller’s shoes. What would you be looking for on the Internet? Housing information…About the area…Real Estate Market news, and so much more! Start typing.

Bottom line is, there really isn’t anything FREE (except death & taxes)… it will either cost you money (or little money) and YOUR TIME. That’s a small “price” to pay for promoting yourself. It is, after all, YOUR BUSINESS.

 Your Lake Arrowhead Realtor would like to share some local Lake Arrowhead Information with you.

“Do You ONLY Show Your Company Listings?” my Client Asked.

“No, of course not,” I told him, “Why would you ask me that?”

It seems my client, who used to live in our local mountains, had experienced this sort of treatment, long, long ago. From what he told me, many (his words, not mine) Realtors would flat out say they ONLY showed their company listings… AND, he continued to stress, MANY wouldn’t show property without lake rights.

We live in a resort area here in Lake Arrowhead, the lake is private, so the only way to access/use/enjoy the sparking water is to own property in “The Woods.” There are little towns connected to Lake Arrowhead (Blue Jay, Twin Peaks, Sky Forest, etc) for folks who are not concerned about using the lake.

I explained to my client that I don’t personally know a Realtor here in my area that ONLY shows his/her company listings. Sure, they may exist, but I don’t know them. And, frankly, I wouldn’t want to know them.  If a Realtor only shows their company listings they are:

• Forgetting their Due Diligence they owe their client
• Unprofessional
• Cutting off their nose to spite their face (because they’re limiting their search of homes/thus business)

 The reason this topic came up is because my client, a seller, is having trouble getting his property sold. I think I calmed his concerns (I hope), but I am sorry I even had too.

Really, why would a Realtor ONLY show their company listings? It’s absolutely crazy!