3 Online Resources Your Agent Should Use

If you’re working with a Grand Junction real estate agent, whether you’re buying a home or selling one, you’re probably armed with a number of questions for him or her. One question you may not have thought to ask could help you to determine whether your agent is a genuine go-getter or just someone who’s going through the motions. It’s simply this: “What online resources do you use?”

If your agent claims not to have time for Facebook, consider that a red flag. Think about it – how many times in the run of any given day do most people check their Facebook? A real estate agent who isn’t taking advantage of this powerful social media tool is missing the boat big time. Savvy agents take the time to post, create little mini-blogs, and generally strut their stuff. A LinkedIn profile is great, but Facebook is where you connect with the masses.

If a real estate agent says they hang out a lot at activerain.com, you know they’re on the ball. ActiveRain is a blogging community where your agent can go to connect with others in the field, find tips and resources, seek out mentors, and so much more. It’s like a one-stop shop for free professional development, and no agent worth his or her salt is going to pass it up.

It’s a bonus if your agent knows about agentfreebies.com, which offers any number of free tips, courses and tools for real estate agents. Among other things, there are all sorts of useful apps including mortgage calculators, photo editors and map creators, plus links to free skills upgrading sites and more.

If your agent has a presence on Facebook and ActiveRain, that one’s a keeper. If they don’t know about agentfreebies.com, clue them in!

Sources:

http://www.joshspeters.com/20-social-media-and-online-resources-for-realtors

http://activerain.com/

http://www.agentfreebies.com/

3 Ways to Save $100 a Month

If you’re like most people, you find it hard to save money. Maybe you’re trying to put aside a nest egg so you can make a down payment on a chunk of Grand Junction Real Estate, but you find there’s just, to use the time-worn expression, too much month left at the end of the money.

If you’d like to save a hundred dollars or more each month, there are three areas to work on.

Groceries

This is the biggest area where you can save money, and there are ways to trim your grocery bill that are so easy you won’t even notice you’re doing it. And no, you don’t have to clip coupons. Forget the tired old idea that you’ll save by planning menus ahead. It’s better to shop the sales, and build your menus day by day according to what you’ve been able to buy cheaply. When you can, stock up – and don’t be a weenie about it. All stores offer what they call “loss leaders,” which are items they actually lose money on in order to entice you into the store. If there’s a staple, like rice or pasta, on for half price, don’t just buy a few bags – buy a few cases. And don’t miss daily markdowns – items that are getting a little old but still perfectly good to eat.

Credit Cards

It goes without saying that you should pay down your highest-interest cards first. If you can, you might also consider getting a loan to consolidate your credit card debt at a lower rate. If you do this, though, get rid of the cards – it’s too easy to charge them up again.

Change

The word on change is, don’t spend it. When you get change back, put the coins in a jar and count them up at the end of the month. You won’t even have missed not using them, and you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve saved.

These three suggestions are bound to save you money – at least $100 a month and maybe more. Start saving today!

Sources:

http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2012/01/10-best-ways-to-save-money-on-groceries.html

http://consumerist.com/2013/11/18/save-money-without-thinking-about-it-dont-spend-dollar-bills/

http://www.nomoredebts.org/debt-help/getting-of-debt/solving-debt-problems-tips-for-paying-off-credit-card-debt.html