Season's Greetings from the Donovan Team

It may surprise some of you to know that we at the Donovan Team are as passionate about music as we are about real estate! Please check out this year's Singing Christmas Card!

Want to listen to the song? Play Song
Want to watch the full video? Play Movie

With the holidays in full swing, we wanted to share something special with you today.

As many of you may know from prior posts - when we aren’t busy helping our clients buy and sell real estate or helping our team members design their dream real estate career, we love writing and performing music!

We are proud to present our 5th Annual Singing Christmas card for your musical entertainment! This year's presentation is entitled: “Memories Are Evergreen”. With guest vocalist Paul Donovan on lead, Joe Donovan, musical producer on harmonica, and Karen Donovan, singer/song writer, on backup vocals. Warning - this video could bring a tear to your eye as you recall happy memories from your past!

Click here to hear the track and see the music video, which is comprised of our home movies from years ago. You may even recognize a few members of the Donovan Brothers Realty team in it!

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Wishing you and your loved ones a Christmas & Holiday Season that is truly Evergreen!

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From all of us at the Donovan Team, we’d like to wish  all of our Clients, Friends, Colleagues & Loved ones a Blessed Holiday and Happy and Healthy New Year and may all your wishes come true!

In the meantime, if we can help you or a Real Estate Colleague you care about with Real Estate endevors 2017 - don't hesitate to give us a call!

How Texting for Dollars Can Grow Your Business

If you want to finish the year strong, I recommend that you start texting for dollars. Texting is a great way to get an immediate response from potential clients.

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If you’re like me, as you approach the end of the year, you might think that you are running out of steam or you’re running out of people in your pipeline. However, you still want to finish the year strong. One way you can still end 2016 on a high note is to incorporate texting for dollars.

I don’t know about you, but if I get an email, I put it in my line of emails that I have to reply to and I might get to it or I might not. If I get a voicemail, the same thing happens. Sometimes my voicemails wait awhile for a response. But what about a text?

A text is immediate. People always have their phones on and people will see it right away. How do you text for dollars? Here is an example of a text you could send out:

“Hi Janet. The market’s really moving and prices are going up, up, up. Are you curious about your home’s value or know someone who needs my help???” Then, hit send! Hopefully, Janet will give me a call.

The fact of the matter is people are curious about their home’s value. Texting for dollars is a great way to get a CMA to someone who might be thinking about making a move this year or next year.

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A text is immediate.

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Who should you text? Anyone in your database who bought a house 10 years ago. Back then, the market was up kind of high, but it went down. Now the market is almost back to where it was, and it might be time for those homeowners to consider selling again because they should have enough equity to do so. 

You should also text people who are thinking about retiring. A lot of people in the older age bracket pride themselves on being able to text, so this is a great opportunity to reach out to them. 


In short, texting for dollars is a great way to finish the year strong. If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. Don’t forget to submit your questions for our next video; send me one and you will enter the contest for a $25 gift certificate. I look forward to hearing from you!

Helpful Travel Alert

Travel alert — avoid bright, shiny objects!

More and more people are traveling every year, so I thought I'd better issue this travel alert to watch out for bright, shiny objects at the airport. I'm not talking about guns or knives, but rather clothing with metallic features, like the ones on my shirt in the video above.

I actually set off security with this shirt! I thought they'd just take me aside for a moment, but it turned into a full-body search in a private room. I also had to take apart all of my carry-on luggage so they could check for explosives.

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I'm talking about clothes, not guns or knives.

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My husband and I were able to move on without a mishap from this rural airport, but I can't say the same for the poor French people next to me who were searched. They missed their flight and had to stay overnight in the airport.

So I repeat, don't wear clothing with metallic decorations, and be prepared with extra time in case the unexpected happens!

Likewise, if you're thinking about traveling to a new place to live, I'd love to help you out. Give me a call or send me a text, and let's talk soon. I look forward to hearing from you!

How to Avoid Major Mortgage Mistakes

I received an email from a colleague the other day and it was so upsetting that I thought, “Wow, we have to talk about how to avoid the heartbreak of major mortgage mistakes.”

This buyer had been in the army and felt that he “hadn’t had a place to call home since.” He was about to close on the property when the lender sent an email requesting more paperwork, pushing the closing back another month.

The buyer had sent in his application on time and paid for inspections and appraisals. Unfortunately, the lender never sent the application to underwriting. When the buyer asked why everything took so long, the lender cited staffing issues. Because of this, the buyer didn’t have a home to move into when his lease was up. As the buyer said, this finance company failed.

How do we as buyers, sellers, or Realtors avoid major mortgage headaches like this?

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Work with a reputable local lender.

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First of all, make sure you work with a local, reputable lender. Get recommendations from friends and colleagues. Hire someone who has done many transactions. Please, don’t search online for lenders and hire one from a different state. They won’t know any appraisers in our area, and that can only lead to headaches.

Make sure that the money the buyer needs to close is in the bank. That means they have enough to cover the down payment and closing costs. Also, make sure they know not to run up additional debts by purchasing a car or furniture between contract and closing; doing so will also cause trouble with your mortgage.

Finally, make sure that you call your lender with any questions. Make sure the buyer is pre-approved, not just pre-qualified. As a Realtor, it is your responsibility to make sure all lines of communication are open.

If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Let’s Get You Out of Your Summer Slump

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The summer is when many agents get into a slump in their business. If they had a good spring, they feel fine with the slump as it happens, only to regret it toward the end of the year.

Many agents I’ve spoken to over the years tend to blame their lack of summer production on a lack of good leads. When we first got into the business, we decided to make a list of everyone we knew. We made a commitment to add to that list daily and send those folks relevant and interesting information on a periodic basis. A lot of agents I talk to think this is a great idea, but make excuses for themselves like not having enough time to get a list together or not knowing enough people.

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I really want to help you do this.

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If you’re slowing down a bit during the summer, this is a great exercise. Make a list of all the people you know, and make a commitment to add to that list. I really want to help you do this, so I will be doing two things for you as well. First, I’ll send you a dynamite memory jogger to help you remember those people you always seem to forget. Secondly, I will be your accountability partner for one week. Tell me how many names you want to add to your database in a week's time, and I will be in contact with you to make sure you're successful.

If you have any questions for me at all, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. Your real estate success is my concern. As always, make it a great day!

Professional Photos Are Crucial for Your Long Island Home Sale

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We've probably all seen the mistake of poorly photographed properties listed for sale in Long Island. Did you know that 92% of buyers start their search on the Internet for homes? I have 3 main reasons to use professional photography when selling your Long Island home.

1. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.
2. They take high-quality HD photos with good lighting and a wide-angle lens to show your entire space. We don't want to deceive people and make the home look bigger than it really is, but you do want things to look attractive, well-lit, and not grainy in your photos.
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   You only get one chance to
   make a good first impression.

   
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3. Once you have the professional quality photographs, you can utilize them in multiple ways. Your agent can post the photos to Facebook and on numerous websites, as well as virtual tours of your listing.

If you're going to use photos of your home online, it's really a no-brainer whether or not you should use a professional photographer. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! I'd love to help in any way that I can.

Long Island Island Real Estate Tips: How to E-Sign a Document Via Email

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Whether you’re 18 or 80 years old, there will be some point where you will sign a document via email. This tool saves a lot of time, especially in the real estate industry.

It’s incredibly simple. Let’s review a brief demo. First, fill in your personal information. Next, review and act on these documents. You’re already at the point where you need to sign once you read everything over. At the bottom of the page, you sign to agree to the document’s conditions. You can see I’ve already chosen a signature that reflects my own handwriting. Lastly, click finish.

It’s that easy! Now you know how to sign a document electronically, in case you’re ever asked to. If you have any questions about this topic or more, please contact me. I’m available by both phone and email! I look forward to hearing your questions, suggestions for future topics, feedback, and more.

The Benefits of a Stand-Up Desk

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I’ve heard a lot about stand-up desks, and how it might be great to already be standing-up when others approach your workspace. Standing-up, compared to sitting all day, prevents back problems and other pains. Your arms are at a nice resting place.

However, I didn’t want to go out and spend a few hundred dollars on a brand-new stand-up desk. I ended up learning about this awesome company called Oristand. I ordered this desk, similar to cardboard, that looks great. It’s also affordable and portable. I can move it around, take it down, and bring it home with me.

You add your laptop or computer monitor to the top shelf, and add a wireless keyboard to the bottom one. It goes on top of your desk or other surface, transforming your previous workspace into something trendy and healthy. When you start working, you can turn your computer on and are ready to go. You’re already eye-level with your computer. Your arms and shoulders feel relaxed, since you aren’t scrunched into a sitting position.

When you’re talking to clients, you have a lot more energy and flexibility when you’re standing. The other day, I noticed one of our team members leaned over on their laptop. After a while, I could tell she ran out of energy because her neck looked like it hurt. If you have some shoulder pain, or would like a change in lifestyle to benefit your health, consider investing in an Oristand stand-up desk. It’s a great way to learn if this type of desk is for you!

If you have any questions about today’s video, or anything else, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be delighted to help you! 

Real Estate Tips, Trends, and Strategies: Group Texts

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We’re back again today with another tips, trends, and strategies minute. Today we are talking about the etiquette of group texting. Here in Long Island, everyone with a cell phone is in some kind of group text or another.

There are a lot of nuances to group messaging that you may not even be aware of. You’ve probably gotten a text from a friend before, who also sent the message to other people. Then you quickly reply with a personal message but don’t realize it’s being sent to everyone else, even people you may not know.

We recently had one of our agents tell us they didn’t even know this was possible. They thought when you replied to a group text, you were only replying to the sender. But no, that’s not how group text messaging works. Everyone gets every message unless you do one of two things.

The first thing you can do is look down to the bottom of the message, and uncheck the check mark to simply reply to the person who sent the text. Or better yet, start a new message to the particular person you want to. This way, your messages won’t be broadcast to the entire world.

We just wanted to share this quick tip with you this week because we thought it would be helpful. If you have any questions for us, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Real Estate Tips, Trends, and Strategies: Pop Sockets

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Today, I'm here with more tips, trends, and strategies to help you have more success in real estate. I recently came across a new, useful invention: Pop Sockets! Pop Sockets are dots that stick to the back of your phone and pop out to create a handle. You can use it to hold your phone and not drop it while calling leads or setting appointments.

You can also use the Pop Socket to prop your phone up on the table. If you're reading an article or long email on your phone, the Pop Socket keeps your phone at an angle for you to read easily and scroll with one hand. Use two Pop Sockets to prop your phone up for videos.

Pop Sockets are easy to remove and re-position on your phone. They usually run about $8, but you can click this link to get $2 off your own Pop Socket.

Remember, if you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!