PHASE 1 Your First 30 days

Begin your foundation and join in on all of the City Insight Houston Tools dedicated to assist you and make your work more efficient. Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  

• JOIN SLACK AND ALL OUR CHANNELS
  • You will receive an invitation from us.
  • Make an Account.
  • Download the app. It can also be used online on slack.com
  • This is a communication tool for all of us to stay updated and communicate with each other.
  • Our Channels are: Classes, General Information, Events, Lender, Title Company, and our Transaction Manager.  
  • All classes are recorded and posted on the #Classes channel. Study them to continuously learn. 
  • Once you are on make sure you introduce yourself in the #Agents area.

• SIGN UP FOR HAR Click Here to Join HAR.
  • This will be your number 1 tool as an agent where you can officially call your self a Realtor. Any information about any type of property will be here. You will search what is on and off the Market with this tool.
  • Go to Har.com/JoinHar. Follow the steps and submit your information. Say YES to wanting to be part of the MLS.
  • You will get an email after signing up with your user name and password to complete payment with in 48 hours. (you cannot continue being a realtor until you have your HAR membership).
  • You have 90 days from the time you sign up with a broker to get your HAR account. If you do not become a member afterwards you will have to be dropped from the office and you will get fined by the Texas Association of Realtors.  
  • 
    Prices change throughout and every year. You have 2 options: sign up as a regular Agent or become a Platinum Agent. 
  • Regular Agent Costs: Around $500 for the year + $60 Quarterly Fees (there has been a recent increase)
  • Platinum Agent Costs: Around $630 for the year + $90 Quarterly Fees 
  • If you start as an Agent in between the year, the yearly fees get prorated to match the time left for that year.  
  • HAR will ask automatically for a $50 donation to TRECPAC which is the organization that gets politically involved in policies to benefit us Realtors. Be aware of this and you can choose to donate or not donate before submitting a membership payment. 
  • Once you have access to your account activate your HAR MLS. Fill out and submit the last pages by emailing them to a HAR representative that will contact you when you initially signup. We will send you an example on how it is filled out.
  • Once you have full access to HAR and the MLS take your time to study and get familar with all the tools it offers you.

• Join HUBSPOT
  • Make an account
  • You will receive an email invitation from us.
  • Download the app if you don’t have it yet. It can also be used online on Hubspot.com 
  • This is CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool which will help you stay organized with all your leads and clients.
  • Add and Categorize all your leads, current costumers, friends, and any business relationships that you build here (example lenders, title companies, contractors, investors, etc).
  • Over time this will be a tool that will help you tremendously. 
  • Take your time to study and get familar with all the tools it offers you. 

• SIGN UP FOR APARTMENT DATA. Join ApartmentData Here.
  • Make sure to complete BOTH Locator Application and the Contact From. See image for reference.
  • You will get an email where you can submit the form and then one with your username and password with in 48 hours.  
  • This is not mandatory, if you do not want to work with apartments it is ok. It is just something else you can do as an Agent.  
  • This tool has a one-time lifetime fee of $65. 
  • Once you have access to your account follow the ApartmentData Guide bellow. 
  • APRTMENTDATA GUIDE 
    • As soon you have your license number you can sign up for Apartment Data. Apartment Data has essential key tools that helps you build more business for clients that are looking to lease an apartment. 
    • Use the Locator application to sign up. Response of acceptance will be the same day majority of the times. As soon as you get your login info as Locator, log in and begin.
    • This platform helps to find apartments in all of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. This means that you can get clients and earn commissions from ALL four cities. 
    • Play around with all the options and search methods. Notice some apartments have specials going on and you can use their advertising information to promote the apartment as well. 
    • Always search for 50%+ commission. Although any commission is great, you will see that it’s best for you to focus on properties that give 100%+ 
    • WebAds Manager helps you pre-make a post with all the details of the complex included, and with the link option to directly post on craigslist. We will send you a video example on how to use the WebAds Manager or see instructions below.
    • View Video Instructions Here

City Insight Houston Realty: Agent Phase 1 Continuation 

 We are here for you and will teach you everything we know. There is no unique order to follow in all these steps, your commitment and creativity are key when starting as a real estate agent. This is only some of the tools to assist you in. Stay proactive, interactive, and have fun! 

Steps agents need to do at the beginning: (** are must dos) 

• Keep your branding in mind from the beginning while setting up. See examples from the office/agent sites and platforms.
• Create your Real Estate email account (Free) Use Gmail. ** 
• Make a list of 25 people that you know and add their information on HUBSPOT**  
  • This will begin your sphere of influence leads. Focus people that are about to get married or recently married, anyone older than 25, people with a great job, etc. Follow the SOI Module   
• Real Estate account for Instagram, Facebook, Google My Business, Reddit(use a side email when you sign up for reddit), yelp, group forum pages, yellow pages, ect.  
• You can continue using your current personal accounts for real estate, however for Facebook you must create a page dedicated to real estate. Look at City Insight Houston’s page and follow what the other agents are doing. Set up your page in a similar way. ** 
• Add your HAR website and proper info to all social accounts. 
• We also provide you the option of making your own unique website that is not HAR, for a more personal and wider audience branding. This comes later after you have built your foundation and passed Phase 1.  A template is provided for you. All you need to do is purchase and keep up with your own domain, and hosting. More details on Phase 3   
• Set up Hubstpot/MailChimp campaigns. 
• Office Photo shoot. ** 
• Download all apps, below there is a list we have for you.  
• Go through our beginners courses online at CIH Agent Center, and the #Classes Channel on SLACK. ** 
• Business cards. You can design your own or follow some of the templates and designs we have here in the office from other agents. You must have your broker City Insight Houston logo somewhere in your card by law.  
• Begin to build the right habits. On SLACK there is 2 Modules you can follow for prospecting and lead generating. Focus on the Sphere Of Influence Module first. Your first transactions will come from your sphere of influence.  
• Attend Monday meetings for classes.  
• Find an area to farm based on the ratio of houses being sold around the area, and where it coincides to the area that you live on nearby. See Location To Farm Steps below.  

Location to Farm:  

Farming is focusing on one area and targeting that one area to become Top of Mind in the community. Target this area with physical posted ads, online marketing, and influencing activities.  

In HAR go to your MLS portal and take a look at the HotSheets, Search the data base and see which area is producing and begin targeting your GEOgraphic farming.  

Aim for a Turnover ratio of 5-6% and begin with that area. (Total Number of Homes / Total Number of Homes Sold = Neighborhood Turnover Rate)

 

Money Making Goals and Steps Example:  

3.33 million in production (price of all homes sold together) = $100K on Brokers Commission (3% of all sales) >>>>>> Therefore 12 Homes at $350K  (1 House a Month) (Depending on your Commission Split of course)

On average, 1 sale comes from 180 contacts. 

2160 people = 12 sales=>>>>>    7 contacts a day  

This can come from:  

1. Expired listings  

1. Go to homes under construction and talk to the builder   

1. Cold call & door knocking  

1. Social media  

1. Follow ups 

1. Look at the 100 ways to prospect list posted in the office. 

  

Random Tip by Using HCAD for Public Records. 

• You can find more inforation about a home and who legally onws it.
• Plus this is where you will find the Legal Description of all properties

TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS AND DOCUMENTS YOU WILL NEED. (We will go over any transcation with you personally this is just for reference)

Remember: IABS will always be the first document that you need to get ready for any type of transaction.

Don’t lose the opportunity to ask, while you have a prospect you are speaking with.  If someone requests information about your business, tell the prospect that you would like to share a link with them and need their email to send it to them. In that email send your IABS and get that out of the way. 

Buying A Home Documents 

• IABS  (in you HAR portal on Members Only section, search “IABS” and you will find a link and file of your IABS ready to go)
• Buyer Rep Agreement (Not mandatory but highly recommended to get) We’ve got many stories. 
• Residential Contract – all blanks filled in, use N/A for blanks, every spot writen, all signed and initialed 
• Addendum for Property subject to mandatory membership in owners association (HOA) – if applicable 
• Sellers disclosure signed by sellers and buyers 
• Third party financing addendum – if getting loan 
• Survey & T -47 (if seller using existing survey). Wont have T47 if new survey is being done 
• Any amendments that change the price, required repairs, closing date 
• Disbursement authorization from the brokerage (CDA) 
• Closing disclosure/settlement statement 

Listing A Home 

• IABS 
• Listing Agreement 
• The rest of the forms you use for buyers 

Apartment Locating 

• IABS 
• Invoice 
• W9 

 

More Tips  

• Invest in a camera. You have access to all of our in-house photography and videography. Having your own camera can be more easier and fun to have constant content flow. We can help edit the pictures you take as well, as part of being with CIH. 
• Balance your feelings. When you come in the office and are having a bad day or in a bad mood, it does not help anyone especially you. Talk it out with us, a small air out session at the beginning can help clear the mind and then drop it and remember the reason why you are doing this.  You will be able to be more productive and the office vibe remains a helpful environment.   
• Daily productive actions. This is KEY for your business, also known as Prospecting. Because without prospects your income flow will tumble. Reach 5 new prospects daily. Reach out using call, message, text, email, ect, which ever way fits the situation best. Engage on your social media 3 times a day for 15 posts a week.   
• You deserve more leads. We will work together to gather leads as a company on top what you have built for you self. Using Slack, any responses from our social media platforms will show up on slack and whoever is available can pick up the lead becomes yours.   
• Learn SEO. This is an entire manual in itself so we will have the basics in person when you come to the office and over time we can teach you all of it on Phase 3.
• Stay consistent with a title of your brand, story, blog post. Google and many other search engines work the same way. The consistency and constant traffic builds up organically from strategic delivery of messages, posts, videos, ads, etc.   
• Post links to your articles in all platforms like yelp, yellow pages, social media ones, online forums, add a link on all your emails. Always keep working on more ideas to stay top of mind with the search engines.   
• Keep this in mind, and we will teach more on SEO when you reach Phase 3.  

  

Other platforms to sign up for:  

Yelp, Yellow Pages, Forum Groups, Nextdoor,  Breakthroughbroker, Fidelityagentone, Etc.

APPS AND THEIR USE

Nextdoor: for local community engagement and LEADS  

Quora: to get articles to share in local area  

Videoleap/Photofox/Pixaloop: 2 apps for video editing and pictures  

Over: image and font blend (each editing app has its own unique feature)  

Buffer: to schedule all your social media posts ahead of time.  

Reports+: analytics of your Instagram pages and rankings  

Spark Post: Themed social media postings for your brand  

Asana: schedule tasks, project management, organization   

Drift: notifications from your pages on your slack so that a group can get the same notification and whoever takes action on it the whole team is will know.   

eKey: for your Super Key to open houses when you make showings  

Facebook Ads: linked with your Instagram this is a great tool to target and farm pre-qualified locations (see Location to Farm section, turnover ratios) beginning for just 5 bucks. It helps to do this from time to time because you can also receive all the data and analytics that come with the ad. That information will help see where to target next.   

Fiverr: for pre-made and tailored marketing you can pay for. A well made professional clip dedicated to you can go a long way.   

Google Ads: Same as Facebook ads. The analytics can help you see which areas/audience will benefit you more to target.   

Mailchimp: For massive prescheduled emails (like buffer for Instagram). Usually has a 2,000-contact list limit for free. Work the 2000 limit use the analytics.  **How to use Mailchimp on Phase 2**  

Medium: For more search on articles to share, this are mainly quick articles done by the people.    

Skillshare: for community courses you may want to take.  

BumbleBusiness: networking app  

  

Home Buying Process   

This is a summary of the process. When the time comes and you have a client ready we will go further with more detail with you directly for you to be the expert for your client.  

• Lead Generating to Securing Prospect  
• General Prospect > Meet the person > Land the Lead  
• Give them the Information of Broker Services and how to get it.**  
• Get the Client to Sign it.  

Then you have 2 Options  

• Get an appointment with them.  
• Send them directly to the lender (elaborate why this is the best option)  (unless it forfull cash)

Once pre-approval letter is received do the House search in 2 ways:  

• Send the client the link of CIH to do the search themselves.  
• Do the search yourself through CIH

You found a home, now put in an offer, but before send it out make a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) to see if it will even be worth that much. You can make an Instant CMA on your HAR members portal or Cloud CMA if you are a platinum member. #Classes channel on Slack has a video on how do a CMA.  

• Next, the offer is accepted, so get with the Title Company and Lender by emailing them to strengthen the communication for the transaction.   

Convince the buyer to get the house inspected by a hired licensed Inspector.  

• Use this as your negotiating tool.  

Review the Distribution of Funds Form  

• Keep Clients Informed   
• Show up to Closing with the Buyer and DONE   

Congratulations! This will become a smoother process for you as you keep growing and improving.  

At any point in this manual if you have questions, do not hesitate to ask. We are here for you.  

 

To your growth and success.