We always appreciate input and new ideas from our brokers, and, in response to a recent request, we have added another way for franchisees to localize their Help-U-Sell websites. In addition to the five theme options available for all broker websites, we have now added the ability for brokers to upload a custom background image.
Images must be high-quality (at least 1MB in size) and should fade to white at the top and bottom. You can upload your image in OMS by clicking on Setup and then Website in the system. Below “Website Theme,” you will see “Background Image.” Check the box next to those words, and you will be able to choose a file to upload.
How to add a custom background image to your Help-U-Sell website
When selecting an image for your broker website, focus on your area’s most iconic or attractive feature. Help-U-Sell Federal City Realty’s custom background image features the Washington, D.C. skyline.
Help-U-Sell Federal City Realty's background image
We encourage you to send us your background image so that we can examine it and make any necessary adjustments.
Ginger Davis of Help-U-Sell Lake Tahoe PropertiesGinger Davis, co-owner of Help-U-Sell Lake Tahoe Properties, got her real estate license “for fun” eight years ago. After making real estate her career (she has a Master’s in speech pathology) in 2005, she shows no signs of looking back, just ahead.
Davis opened her Help-U-Sell office in 2006 with her husband, after buying a house from and working at an Assist-2-Sell office. She liked the business model, looked at the other options and ultimately chose to become a Help-U-Sell franchisee. With the downturn in the market over the past few years, her husband switched careers and became a general contractor. Davis brought on a new partner earlier this year in an effort to grow her business.
She met partner Brenda Knox while they both were serving on a non-profit’s board. It was a perfect fit. Knox had recently sold her business, and she has an MBA and a real estate license. Davis can now concentrate on the sales aspect that she loves, while Knox is focusing on administration, including optimizing the office’s website and taking advantage of the other benefits Help-U-Sell offers its franchisees.
Davis says the goal for 2013 is to bring on at least two more agents. The Lake Tahoe area has seen growth this year in terms of more full-time residents purchasing property in what has historically been a vacation-home market.
Second-home buyers remain important, so advertising to the two markets requires creativity and balance. “We still [advertise in] ‘Homes & Land’ because vacationers come to town and pick that up,” she says. Zillow and Trulia also help reach the second-home buyers, but Davis adds that her office also does “quite a bit of local radio” because it’s a small community. Print and direct mail factor into the marketing equation as well. “We’re constantly looking at it and seeing what we can do differently,” she says. The office is located in a highly visible new building, too.
For new Help-U-Sell franchisees, Davis encourages them to be able to step back and take a breath to focus on planning for the year. “Know that the business will come,” she says. She also advocates getting involved in the community as a whole and in the Realtor community in particular. “It’s important for agents in the community to see who you are and it helps them understand the Help-U-Sell business model better.”
Share with us your goals for 2013 or your advice for new franchisees.
Help-U-Sell broker/owners, you should have received an email today with the subject line “Help-U-Sell Real Estate Franchise Survey.” It is legitimate. Franchise Business Review, which gave us a 2012 Franchise Satisfaction Award based on your feedback last year, is conducting the survey for the 2013 awards. You can read about our 2012 award on the Connect post from earlier this year.
Sharing your business experiences will help us better understand the strengths and opportunities of the Help-U-Sell system, be more responsive to your needs, improve our performance and better represent our franchise offering to franchisee candidates in the future. Winning an award again would mean a lot to us also.
Please plan to set aside 10 to 15 minutes to take this survey. We appreciate your time and your input!
November was truly a month to give thanks. The month’s top producers closed an impressive average of 11 sides each!
1) Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties holds the top spot again, this time with 14 closed sides. Nine were seller sides, three were buyer sides and one was a dual-sided transaction.
2) Help-U-Sell Detwiler Realty returns to the list with 10 closed sides, five seller, three buyer and one dual-sided transaction.
3) Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate also makes a repeat visit. The Minnesota office’s nine closed sides consisted of an almost even split among seller, buyer and dual sides (three seller, two buyer and two dual-sided transactions).
More kudos to our offices that closed on $1 million-plus properties: Honolulu Properties had four, and Help-U-Sell Realty Pro, also located in Hawaii, had one. Congratulations, everyone!
During our annual Help-U-Sell Success Summit, several brokers requested we add a Sold and Saved $x,xxx banner to all Sold listings on the broker websites.
Last week, we worked on this feature and launched it over the weekend. You will now have the option to show either a Sold banner on your sold listings, or the Sold and Saved $x,xxx banner.
By request from some of our brokers at this month's Success Summit, we've added Sold and Saved banners to the broker websites.
We calculate the dollar savings by taking the amount you reported on the listing side of the transaction (if you represented the seller only), add 3% for the selling side, then compare the savings to a 6% commission. If you represented both the seller and the buyer, we take what you reported on both the listings and selling sides and compare it to a 6% commission.
We also are aware that in some cases, such as REOs, you may receive a full 6% on the transaction and therefore have $0 savings. To account for this, we will only display the Sold and Saved banner when the savings exceed $1,000. When the savings are below $1,000, we will only display the Sold banner.
We look forward to your feedback on this new feature. We also want to thank the brokers who participated at this year’s Success Summit and came up with this and several other great initiatives.
