DRE LICENSE NUMBER MUST BE ON SOLICITATION MATERIALS

The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) has recently adopted a new regulation clarifying the law that requires DRE license numbers on business cards and all other solicitation materials intended to be the first point of contact with consumers. The licensing law came into effect on July 1, 2009 as we previously reported.

Under the new section 2773 regulation adopted by the DRE, the solicitation materials that must contain the license identification number include the following items:

• Business cards;
• Stationery;
• Websites owned, controlled, and/or maintained by the soliciting real estate license; and
• Promotional and advertising flyers, brochures, email and regular mail, leaflets, and any other marketing or promotional materials designed to solicit the creation of a professional relationship between the licensee and a consumer, or intended to induce a consumer to contact the licensee about any licensed services.

DRE’s new regulation also states that the following items are not solicitation materials under the license number requirement:

• Advertisements in electronic media, including radio, cinema, and television ads, and the opening section of streaming video and audio;
• Print advertising in any newspaper or periodical; and
• “For Sale” signs placed on or around a property intended to alert the public the property is available for purchase or lease.

The eight-digit DRE license number must be in a type size no smaller than the smallest type size used in the solicitation material. If the name of more than one licensee appears in the solicitation, then each person’s license number must be disclosed. However, the license number of employing brokers or corporate brokers whose names, logos, or trademarks appear on solicitation materials along with the names and license numbers of licensed employees or broker-associates, need not appear on those materials.

In addition to solicitation materials, a licensee’s DRE license number must also be disclosed on real property purchase agreements when the licensee is acting as an agent in those transactions. C.A.R.’s standard form purchase agreements already conform to this new requirement.

Sources: California Business & Professions Code section 10140.6 (filed September 25, 2008); Section 2773 of Title 10 of the California Code of Regulation (filing with the Secretary of State still pending).

Real Innovate Realty offers 100% commission and virtual office software to all it’s real estate agents in California.

What is REbar Camp? Watch the video to find out and to see what took place.

Real Innovate Realty will be sponsoring RE Barcamp Los Angeles, Thursday April 2nd at Pasadena Hilton.

RE barcamp is a gathering of the brightest minds and most innovative companies in the real estate industry for a one day meeting on technology, services, solutions, marketing, social media, etc… Its very cutting edge and tech driven. We hope to see you there.

They guys at Domus Consulting Group have been very innovative in their thinking and networking. They have created a very original and new way of creating a large and powerful referral network.

Real Innovate Realty has been working with Domus Consulting Group for the past 4 months now. We have been able to leverage the power of the social media and we are coming up with more innovative ways to help our agents gain exposure and become  more successful with their marketing efforts. We believe that this new system is the future and will help any real estate agent and business professional in their community.

Check out the presentation on The Social Media Referral System Here:

Domus Consulting Group will be conducting free webinar sessions for real estate professionls and anyone  in their professional network whom they believe will benefit from learning social media toosls and this referral system.

Everything is Green these days. This is a good thing for everyone and our environment. It’s not just a trend anymore, its a way of life now and in the future.

As with any trend, new innovations and technologies arise. This is a great part of our evolution.

Out of this evolution comes the paperless real estate transaction. Imagine the costs saved if all real estate transactions were conducted paperless. There are very innovative products and applications available that specifically catar to the real estate industry. The companies that grasp this concept and push it, will be the ones to advance.

To name a few of the specific products and applications that make this possible:

Relay – Online File Management – This web based application keeps all of your documents, contacts, and important information and notes all in one central location that can be accessed by any computer any where. It can be shared very easily with your clients, broker, and TC. You have the ability to email and efax these documents around.As well as use digital signatures with docusign (which I’ll get into shortly)

eFax – Online Fax – I’m sure everyone has heard of Efax. There are a few other similar products out there that are similar. But this is a great tool. Faxing is a very productive tool for real estate professionals to send documents back and forth. Users of Efax can enjoy the ease of always being able to access there faxes without having to go to the office. A very powerful and useful tool in any real estate professionals arsonal.

Docusign – Paperless Digital Signature – This is another great tool. Docusign which also caters to real estate is a way to send out documents for signature which can be signed without printing out any paper. Once the recipient receives the file, he/she will sign the document by clicking on the areas marked for signature and when completed the document will be sent automatically to the sender.

Online Winforms/Zipforms – If your still using the desktop version of Winforms/Zipforms act quickly and make the transition to Online Winforms. This application gives the user the ability to access the library of real estate forms for their association online and from any computer. Forms Advisor accompanies the online version of winforms/zipforms. (No more confusion on which forms should be used for a particular transaction) Now every agent has the ability to act as the very experienced agent/broker.

Can you see the trend here. Not only are we talking about paperless transaction, but web based.

The future is all web based applications powering the transaction. The transaction can be conducted paperless. Saving our environment, alloying the transaction to be managed much more easier and organized.

Learn these tools. They are the now and the future.

Real Innovate Realty was founded on these principles. www.realinnovate.com

What’s your opinion?

There was a very interesting article writtin today on Inman News, Consumers follow agents, not brands. For most people, when deciding on a real estate agent there are several factors in mind. Obviously, brand will play into the subconcious mind when making a decision. But when it really comes down to it, wether that person was working for Century 21, Prudential, Keller Williams, RE/MAX, or Real Innovate Reallty, in the end the brand is a very small fraction of the decision.

The agent will ultimatly showcase his/her brand (Themself). How does that agent present themself, online, on paper, over the phone? How does their professionalism compare to the competition.?Are their skills, technology solutions, and experiense displayed online or in a fashion so that a stranger can find out about that person?

There are several methods of advertising oneself and getting their own name recognition out there. With all of the advances of the social media, technology geared towards real estate, the possiblilities of distribution of content, etc.. will be what makes the agent known and showcases their abilities, experience, and ambitions.

When deciding on which Real Estate Company to affiliate yourself with, one should ask themselves several questions.

• What type of experience does the broker have?
• What type of solutions and support does this new office have?
• What are the commission structures?
• Where is my money really going? – Find out – you may be surprised.
• How technologically advanced is this company?
• Is this company actively pursuing new trends in marketing, technology, and support?

These are just a few questions – you would be surprised when comparing the answers of several different companies and offices. Its just as easy for a broker to open up a Century 21 franchise or a RE/Max franchise. When making a decision on a company, just like the title of the inman article reads Consumers Follow Agents, Not Brands, – Agents should title their search “Agents Follow Brokers, Not Brands.”

The Only “REAL” 100% Commission from Brett Lieberman on Vimeo.