New FREE form: Get Organized with Daily Checklist

At the end of a day, does it ever seem like you’ve been SO BUSY and yet you can’t even think of ONE THING you accomplished?  Isn’t that frustrating! 

Want to get a better handle on your workday?  Do you need to get in control of your day instead of letting it control you?

WE’RE HERE TO HELP YOU!

Visit http://www.virtualofficebizpro.com/ and click on “Forms” on the left.  You’ll see your choice of format, either PDF or Word for the following FREE document:

• To Do Today Checklist

You can use the form online (Word) or print a bunch of copies.  I recommend completing it the NIGHT BEFORE so it’ll be ready when you come into your office in the morning.  No guessing, no distractions — just start on the list without feeling overwhelmed.

And check them off when you’ve completed an item.  At the end of the day, transfer over the UNDONE items to tomorrow’s list.  So simple, isn’t it!

Feedback?  I think I’d like to see a “prioritization” of the items on the list.  Please let me know what else you’d like to see, and I’ll prepre it for the next revision.

ENJOY!  And get in control of your day – YOU’RE the boss of your DAY!

Questions?  Please contact me and I’ll be happy to help you! 

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of eBook “Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House“
Author of forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home“

	Enjoy my NEW Books:

Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved

How to Interview your NEW Estate Planning Attorney

Who needs an estate planning attorney, anyway?

You do.

Me?  Why?

Well, you own property don’t you?  And a business?

Yes.

And you have children, don’t you?

Yes.

And you certainly don’t want everything you’ve work so hard for, to end up with the courts or attorneys do you?  After all, you’ve worked hard so your children, grandchildren, and favorite charities can have something nice to inherit, right?

That’s true.

So you need an Estate Planning Attorney then.  Not just any attorney.  But one that does estate planning exclusively and can help you create a custom plan for you and your family.

So how do I find a great attorney to help me?

Once you have selected a prospective attorney, here’s some interview questions:

1. How long have you been licensed as an attorney?  Are you in good standing or have you been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings? (You can verify on your state bar licensing web site.  In California, it’s www.calbar.org.)
2. Do you have a web site? (Ask this before you meet the attorney & review their site.)
3. Have you written a book or professional reference papers?  Have you written anything that has been accepted for publication?
4. Do you speak publicly to any community groups?  Do you present education to other financial professionals?
5. What law school did you attend?  (Some law schools are more highly regarded than others.)
6. Are you a member of any professional associations?  (WealthCounsel is a credible association for Estate Planning attorneys.)
7. Do you have legal malpractice insurance? (This is a sign of accountability.)
8. Are you incorporated?  (Often signified by the letters P.C. or A.P.C. after their firm name.)
9. What common mistakes have you seen in estate planning? (Demonstrates experience with all types of situations.)
10. What is your fee range for your services?  (Great attorneys probably won’t quote an exact fee, but should be willing to give you a fee range.  If they won’t give you any fees up front, beware!)
11. Why are you passionate about estate planning?

And if you’re a business professional, two more interview questions:

1. If I do business with you, are you willing to consider doing business with me? 
2. I’d like to refer people to you.  Do you have anyone you can refer to me?

Okay, you say, I got it.  These are the types of questions I’m going to ask.  But how do I go about LOCATING a top quality attorney who is highly respected in his/her field?

Be cautious when using the following methods to find a great attorney:

• Yellow pages
• Billboard signs
• Internet directories
• Referral service (attorneys that pay to be listed)
• Fancy / expensive ads, graphics, or slogans

Some recommended attorney resources are:

• Brenda Geiger, Esq., Geiger Law Office, P.C. (California)
• Myrna Arroyo, Esq., Myrna E. Arroyo, LLC (Louisiana & Connecticut)
• Ask your CPA or financial advisor for a referral
• Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (througout U.S. and Canada)

Don’t believe that your entire estate can be ruined by using the wrong forms, wrong trust methods, or wrong attorney?  Read Geiger’s book, “What You Must Know to Protect Your Family and Your Estate: The Ultimate Guide to Estate Planning for California Families” and you’ll find some tragic stories — of what you DON’T want to do!

Questions?  Please contact me and I’ll be happy to help you! 

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of eBook “Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House“
Author of forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home“

 

	Enjoy my NEW Books:

Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved

Top Closers Reveal 5 Secrets for Success

Now I know that all of us wanna-be TOP closers are going to want to find out all these great secrets.  But the funny thing is, they’re not shocking or astounding.  They are just plain common-sense.  But TOP producers practice them in a focused and consistent manner, according to national real estate sales trainer Doug Smith. 

Doug flew out from NC to share the secrets he’s discovered from #1 sales agents over his 25-year career history.  Author of the book, “Climbing the Ladder of Success” and the forthcoming book, “Street Smart Selling”, Doug interviews the top sales agents continually, and grills them for their secret strategies.

I attended his live in-person seminar yesterday and took about 8 pages of notes!  So I can’t share EVERYTHING I learned (you’ll have to go to his seminar for that), but I know you’re waiting for those FIVE SUPER-SECRET STRATEGIES, so here they are:

1. Top Closers are WORKING HARD.  They often work 45-60 hour work weeks.  They outearn simply by outworking!

2. Top Closers are MAKING A LOT OF CONTACTS.  They talk to people everywhere they go.  A #1 sales agent told Doug that her goal is to meet 3 new people per day.  Of course, most of them won’t become clients, but the more contacts, the more possible clients.

3. Top Closers are TRYING NEW THINGS.  They are moving with the market.  This requires change.

4. Top Closers are TALKING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE.  They are screening their prospective clients before spending a lot of time with them.  They don’t spin their wheels with unqualified, unmotivated folks.

5. Top Closers are NOT WAITING ON THINGS TO CHANGE.  They are not making excuses or procrastinating, they are taking action NOW.

So those are the top tips from the 20% of our colleagues who are controlling 80% of our market earnings.  Wanna be in the TOP CLOSERS crowd?  Another tip:  Follow the leaders.  Don’t reinvent the wheel, just follow their 5 success secrets above!

BONUS TIP:  On the 1st of each month, write down what you ARE doing.  Rate how successful each method is.  Then write down what you COULD be doing.

Is your time and money spent on something that’s not increasing your business?  Hmmmm… maybe it’s time to make a change — for the better!

You can find Doug online at www.DougSmithOnline.com.  One of the most popular speakers and sales trainers in the country, Doug Smith is the founder of Douglas Smith & Associates, a training and performance consulting firm specializing in the banking, mortgage and financial services industry.  He is available for seminars and tele-conferences for real estate lenders, agents, and other industry pros.

Highly recommended!

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of eBook “Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House“
Author of forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home“

	Enjoy my NEW Books:

Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved

How much Money did you REALLY Make?

During the presidential election race, “Joe the Plumber” asked Presidential candidate Obama, “I’m thinking about buying a business that makes over $250,000 per year, would I be taxed more?”

The BIG problem with this trick question:  Is the $250,000 GROSS profit or NET profit?  That’s a big difference!  And unfortunately most people don’t know the difference — not even many self-employed folks such as real estate agents.

It’s flattering to go to a party and throw around that you “earned over $200,000 last year” — but you really know that once you deduct your expenses, you only earned (netted) $50,000.  So it doesn’t sound as great as the gross income you bragged about at the party.

To simplify it in a nutshell:

• Your GROSS income is the TOTAL amount of money you earned (and collected). 
• Your NET income is how much of the gross income you actually kept once you deduct all your expenses.

For example, when you a Real Estate Agent (finally) close that big escrow and make $10,000 gross income (in California, that is an average $400,000 house with a 2.5% commission on 1 transaction side, and assuming that the agent gets to keep 100% of their commission with Allison James Estates and Homes).  BUT then you must deduct your advertising costs, marketing, ad signage, open house expenses, travel & car expenses, meals with your client, phone calls, etc.  Once those are deducted, perhaps you’ve netted $7,000 gross income.  That is still great, because now you have money left over (your profit) to pay yourself!  And that’s the whole point, isn’t it.

If you are self-employed, you should be preparing a Profit & Loss statement quarterly or monthly, and also at the end of the year.  This can tell you where you stand at any given time.  If you need help getting started, ask your colleagues to recommend a good bookkeeper or accountant in your area.

Any feedback from the field?  Please share your experience and input.  I’d love to hear from you!

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home”

	Enjoy my NEW Books:

Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved

Simple Bookkeeping On-the-Go with Xpenser

Can’t seem to keep all your receipts in one place?  Forget to write down your mileage?  Feeling overwhelmed trying to track expenses?  Want an easier to to deal with all the daily bookkeeping chores, and make it easy for yourself in TAX season?

Say hello to www.Xpenser.com for easy accounting.  Computer entry too time-consuming?  Try:

• Email from PDA (Blackberry)
• SMS or IM (text message)
• iPhone
• Twitter
• Calling from your cell phone
• Browser search entry
• Website entry

Now that you’ve entered your expenses, what can you do with the records?

• Edit the records
• Track mileage
• Export to other applications, like Excel or Quickbooks
• Set up an RSS feed for yourself

I am most amazed because it’s FREE and doesn’t spam you with ads!  Not sure how they managed to do all that for free, but it sounds great!!  Take the tour here:

http://xpenser.com/docs/tour/

Feedback anyone??

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home”

 

	Enjoy my NEW Books:

Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved

When should you Start Planning your Exit Strategy?

Real Estate Agent Exit Strategy

Okay so you’ve worked years and years to build your business.  Your goodwill is invaluable, you have a large “book of business”, leads & referrals flowing in, and a great reputation in your community. 

But eventually you have to retire.  It’s time to stop working 50-60 hours per week and get out to see the world.  So you start thinking about:

• Who’s going to take good care of your loyal, lifelong clients?
• Can you receive any income from the business you’ve built?
• How long do you keep your files?
• Should you get rid of equipment & electronics?

Now what?  Well if you’re at the point of retirement, and you’re just starting to think about this…. it’s too late to plan.  Start your Exit Strategy at the very beginning.  It should be at the top of your mind at all times when you start your business, when you write your business plan, and as you grow your business over the years. 

Here’s a few common exit strategies:  some are graceful, some happen by default (lack of planning):

(1)  Sell your Business as an Entity

This includes tangible things, like equipment & furniture.  It also includes the intangibles, like your customer accounts and the goodwill you’ve built over the years.  How to value a business?  Check a Business Valuation book.  Or use the rule of thumb:  The business is worth 5 times its annual profit.  Also you should provide free training to your business buyer.  Consider hiring a professional business broker!

(2)  Sell your Assets Individually

Often the most valuable thing in the real estate industry is our sphere of influence:  Our clients, and especially those loyal repeat clients:  your Book of Business.  If you have Contracts, those are valuable also.  You’ll have to sell or donation Equipment.   

(3)  Pass on to Successor/Heir

Have you been grooming a successor?  For this option, you must have plan in place first.  There are many great options to pass on your business the way YOU want, but you first need to consult your Estate Planning Attorney, Business Attorney, and Accountant or CPA.  This will help you make the best legal decisions, and to minimize any taxes due for the heir. 

(4)  Dissolve the Business

You can always just close up shop.  Hang up the “Out of Business” sign.  But if you’ve worked so hard to acquire loyal clients, it’s tough to just dump them on a whim like this.

(5)  Declare Bankruptcy

Not a graceful way to go.  But hopefully you’ve planned ahead enough and run your business on a lean cash business model, so you won’t have to resort to this.  If you have liens against your business, or if you have personal liens and your business entity is not protected from them (LLC etc.), your creditors (or predators) may be able to seize your assets and stop your business.  Think:  IRS

(6)  Death Inheritance

Tsk, tsk, you should have planned better!!  This option is what will happen if you don’t do any estate planning and happen to die before you can retire.  It’s usually a big, huge, giant mess for your heirs (not to mention those precious clients).

Today I’d like to introduce you to My Green Parachute.

If you’re a retired or an inactive real estate agent, how would you like ensure that a great agent is servicing your previous clients?  And ensure that you’ll continue to receive passive income from client referrals, for the rest of your life?

If you’re an active real estate agent, how would you like to partner with a retired agent who already has a book of business they can refer to you?  I bet you’d be happy to pay the retired agent a referral fee for his great clients, wouldn’t you!

Contact me today to find out more about this proprietary system and put it to work for YOU!

Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals: Work & Prosper from Home”

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of eBook “Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House“
Author of forthcoming book, “Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Prosper from Home”
Join my NEW group for professionals who work from their home office at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

 Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved

63 Real Estate Pro’s Share Virtual Office Rewards

On ActiveRain, 63 (and counting) real estate agents, mortgage lenders, and other industry professionals shared their rewards of working from home:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1033128/What-are-the-REWARDS-of-Working-from-your-Virtual-Office-at-Home

Some of the interesting thoughts included:

“As I can tether my laptop to my cell phone and can run a printer though my electrical diverter in my truck, there’s really no reason why I can’t work from ANY location.” — Michael Hoffman

“Today’s real estate office is on the laptop, in the blackberry, in the car and at the property for sale.” — Channing Boucher

Check it out and add your own comments — either here or there!

SURVEY SAYS: Why do you work from your Virtual Office?

Why do you choose to work from home, rather than a conventional office?  Let us know, we’d like to hear from you!  Use the poll below.  And if you select “Other”, be sure to write in your answer!  THANKS, have fun.

Hello fellow Home-Based Business Professionals!

Welcome to Virtual Office Biz Pro and our blog.  Our goal is to help YOU be successful in your home-based business office.  Whether you work from home, or travel on the road, we’ll help you stay updated with today’s latest tips, tools, & techniques.  Talk to us, we’re waiting to hear from you!