For those of our faithful blog readers and subscribers we are offering you free shipping on your next purchase on our online retail center. The free shipping is only good until January 31, 2009, so be sure to scoop up the savings!
Coupon Code: 09DB
So save your gas, save time, and save your money!
From all of us here at www.realtysupplycenter.com we wish you a safe and happy New Years!
Happy Holidays From All of Us Here at realtysupplycenter.com
One of the projects that we are working on for the online store is the marketing , and since we have a special deal on our REALTOR® sweatshirts, we came up with a quick commercial starring Carl:
Since YouTube now offers the ability to upload the videos in widescreen and in higher quality than previously, we wanted to make sure that we took advantage of these new options. So here is the link to the YouTube page if you want to be able to see it larger, in higher quality, and have the option for full screen playback:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MhdnybyQk
Also valid with online purchases
With the holiday season upon us shopping has shifted into high gear and SAR would like to help you cross a few names off your shopping list. If you are searching for the perfect gift for your friends or family in the real estate business, we would like to suggest an SAR Gift Card. Gift Cards are an excellent gift and they will save you hours of shopping in holiday crowds.
SAR Gift Cards are offered in every value imaginable, giving you the control to spend what you want and they give the recipient the opportunity to shop for items they need. Best of all they take the stress out of holiday shopping. You can purchase a gift card in a matter of minutes and wrapping them is a cinch (no awkward shapes or breakable pieces)!
Giving consideration to the current economy, the SAR Retail Center is offering gift cards at a 20% discount, giving you more bang for your buck. SAR Gift Cards do not expire and have no maintenance fees. They make a great gift for Christmas, Hanukah and many other occasions. Consider purchasing SAR Gift Cards for events and occasions in the coming year as discounted gift cards can only be purchased through the end of December 2008.
While some may argue that gift cards are impersonal, we feel they are a wonderful way to avoid giving unwanted gifts. So stop on by the SAR Retail Center and pick up a SAR Gift Card and maybe find a few things for yourself!
As with any industry, a new year brings new laws. While new laws usually benefit a group of people, they can also bring additional expenses with them. A new law, set to take effect on July 1st, 2009, may require numerous real estate professionals to incur an additional expense; specifically in reguards to business cards.
SB 1461 is a new law passed by the California legislature,
“This new law requires a real estate licensee to disclose his or her DRE license number on all ’solicitation materials intended to be the first point of contact with consumers’ and on real property purchase agreements when acting as an agent in those transactions.”
Whether you have just a hundred business cards or a thousand, you have until the end of June to hand them out. At the beginning of July, your business cards, stationeries, etc., must have your DRE license number on them or penalties will apply. One alternative to throwing away your previous made business cards is to place a sticker with your DRE license number on them. Another way is to stamp the number on the cards.
To aid in the transition, the SAR Retail Center has a workstation inside the store where Members can create and order new business cards. Prices for business cards are dependent on the type of layout, coloring, and style, but we do our best to keep the prices down. In addition, SAR has a program inplace with Office Depot that offers REALTORS® special pricing-which means additional savings in your pocket. To obtain this REALTOR® benefit, stop by the SAR Retail Center for an Office Depot Store Purchasing Card. For further convienence, customers outside of the Sacramento Area can fill out this form and Office Depot will mail a card right to you. The great thing about the Store Purchasing Card is that REALTORS® can shop and save at any Office Depot
Store Purchasing Card
So make sure to stop by the SAR Retail Center or your local Office Depot with a store purchasing card if you need to order new business cards or just want to save a little extra on office supplies. A list of all new laws affecting California real estate can be found on the California Association of REALTORS® website: www.car.org.
With gas prices and other commodities so high, consumers are looking to save whenever and wherever they can. Rather than paying as much as $5 for a single energy-efficient Compact Florescent Light bulb (CFL), you can pay $2 for a 4-pack of CFLs, brought to you by the SAR Retail Center, courtesy of SMUD. CFLs now come in a variety of sizes and lumen (brightness) to fit just about any lighting fixture in your home.
These energy star bulbs save an average of $92* per bulb throughout its average life span of 9 years. Also a mere 23 watt CFL bulb will get you the same brightness as a 100 watt incandescent bulb. These soft white, spiral shaped bulbs have an average life of 10,000 hours. Not only will you save in energy costs, but it would take about 10 bulbs to last as long as one CFL. Using one CFL bulb prevents a half ton of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere over the life of the bulb.
Energy saved by CFL bulbs in the average household amounts up to 15% in savings off the total electric bill. That is because CFLs consume up to 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and emits about 20% of the heat, and all this while still retaining the same level of brightness.
All members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), basically meaning any REALTOR®, are given an exclusive price of $2 for a pack of 4 CFLs. REALTORS® should take advantage of this to help promote and market themselves. What better tool to help market yourself to potential clients? Just go around your local neighborhoods, introduce yourself and tell them that you would like to give them a gift that can save them some money. Handing out the CFLs show that you care about your neighborhood and the environment. At $2 for a 4 pack of CFLs, the price makes it easy to give them away as gifts to clients, whom normally pay as much as $18 for 4 CFLs.
And just to warn you-these great, energy-efficient bulbs come with a small risk, that is greatly outweighed by it’s benifits. Small amounts of mercury are present in each CFL, making it illegal to just simply throw them away. All CFLs must be properly recycled in designated drop off locations. For help on how to clean up broken CFLS, click here. You can always check out and get more tips on CFLs and where to recycle them at Earth911. If you live in Sacramento then you are in luck as the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities has initiated a pick-up service for old compact fluorescent light bulbs. Residents can call (916) 808-5454 to schedule an appointment.
*$92 in savings based on 12 cents per kwh with 3 hours of use per day. $92 reflects energy savings throughout the life of the CFL bulb (usually 9 years).
Blogs, blogs, blogs! We often hear of blogs, but what exactly is a blog? A contraction of the words, “web log,” a blog is a website that is maintained and updated with commentary, descriptions of events, graphics, video, or any other content the creators choose.
As an added benefit to our members, the SAR Retail Center has supplied this blog with the main purpose of helping REALTORS® market themselves and also save some money of course. A majority of our blog posts will center on real estate products that we feel will help our members in building a niche and developing their business.
On a regular basis, we will be posting new blogs about products and events that are relevant to our REALTORS®. From time to time, there will be posts referring to other benefits we offer REALTORS® such as: classes, events, community outreach programs, and many more.
Comments and discussions about our blog entries are highly encouraged. Additional information relating to blog entries or information about events/classes that members feel would be useful are a few examples of feedback we welcome on this blog. Any comments made that the SAR Retail Team does not feel relates to the interest of REALTORS®, or real estate professionals, will be edited or removed completely from the site.
To start things off, we will discuss, Realty Blogging by Richard Nacht and Paul Chaney. This educational guide helps real estate professionals capture the interest of local homeowners, buyers, and sellers. Blogging is a great way to market yourself and attract new clients. These authors take their years of experience with blogging and real estate and give you a guideline to follow in expanding your knowledge and commitment to helping others.
Realty Blogging bridges the gap between those who barely know how to use a computer with those who embrace technology and use it to their full advantage. The writing is crisp, to the point, and actionable. The authors show readers how to leverage technology and blogs to build the community, alleviate housing concerns, and expand your client base.
The book takes a step further by referring readers to their website www.realtyblogging.com and providing agents with a free blog with instructional videos and resources. The website takes everything readers learn about in the book and allows them to expand it and actively engage themselves in blogging.
The book covers:
If you’re new to blogging or know just the basics, this guide will make you an expert at blogging in no time. Get this book to build your business and outsmart your competition.
The Sacramento Association of REALTORS® and C.A.R. Online Education have come together to bring you a free tech training session.
When: Friday, October 31st, 2008.
Where: SAR Mack Powell Auditorium, 2003 Howe Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825.
Topic: Blogging for REALTORS®
All REALTORS® may attend this FREE training session. Space is limited, sign up today! Contact Traci Sarria by phone at (916)437-1210, or send us a message through our contact us page.
Go to http://www.sacrealtor.org for more information.
2009 Promotional Calendar
A SIMPLE PROMOTIONAL CALENDAR, for less than the price of a cup of coffee, OPENS ALL THE DOORS!
Enter your clients’ homes by the main door. What is the key?
A PROMOTIONAL CALENDAR!
Forge close and lasting ties with your current and potential clientele: give a promotional calendar personalized with your business card, and remain close to your clients all year long.
A promotional calendar will grow your business! Research has shown that companies offering a gift calendar experience a 7% to 10% increase in their clientele.
Your name and message are a constant presence associated with attractive images that your clients will be happy to display.
Economical and easy to distribute, it is also less expensive than a newspaper ad and remains in plain view much longer.
While technology has made significant inroads into our day-to-day lives, the fact remains that virtually everyone has a gift calendar posted in their home or office. Why shouldn’t that gift calendar be yours?
In fact, the impact of the promotional calendar on clients is so strong that 90% of companies offering calendars continue to do so year after year. Among them, we note:
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