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Congratulations to Vern & Audrey English  
for being in the Top '10 Eye-Catching Realtor® Web Sites'!  Their website 
earned the coveted award for 'Best Use of a Template'.
View the entire article at Realtor® Magazine.  

Check out Vern & Audrey's website at www.TampaBayAreaRealEstate.com 

Develop A Great Theme

Marketing themes are one of those things that will get better with age. Great themes will gain familiarity and power with each passing year.

Is there a particular neighborhood that you have been farming or is a good fit for you to farm? Do you work well with new home construction, waterfront homes, or vacation homes better than anyone else?

Add your specialty onto your website!  Make people look at it and know that you work in that area.  Take a look at the following examples: 

www.LaneElliott.com - Lane has focused her site as a 'Buyer's Guide to Real Estate'.  She has taken her theme/slogan and incorporated it with the communities she works in.  The collages on the main page of her site all focus around her specialty areas as well as providing different pages of content for buyers.

www.CapeCoralWaterFrontParadise.com - Marie's site display's her theme in a bright red font on her front page, as well as stating she is a 'New Construction Specialist'.  Marie has links to her ListNOW database showing client homes that are under construction.  Her website also makes it known she works with all consumers.  (Tip - Check out her special page on Golf as well!)

What do YOU work with best?  Incorporate that into your website!  Show people that you have a special quality in your work that you can help them with.

It's tax time!  We wanted to get you started on your taxes with this great article.  It goes over some reminders of things you need to add to your taxes.  Good luck!

Strategies to "Up" Your Deductions
by Bernice Ross; Ph.D.

It's tax time again—did you make the most of your deductions? Would your tax return be able to withstand the scrutiny of a full IRS audit? Before you file your 1040 this year, check to make sure you've taken every allowable deduction and that each deduction has been properly documented. Depending on your tax rate, every dollar you deduct pays you 15-55 cents. To see how effective you were, compare your 2000 Schedule C against the list below. (Remember, always verify all deductions with your accountant).

  1. Did you deduct your mileage driving to and from the office? (This is not deductible, because it's considered commuting.) Change commuting to a deductible activity by driving by FSBOs, stopping to refill the brochure boxes, or previewing property before going to the office.
  2. Did you use your appointment book, Palm Pilot, or computer to log when you met with clients? Did you also log the number of miles driven as well as how much you spent on lunches or snacks for buyers? In an audit, this will be "proof" of your activities.
  3. The IRS limits "gifts" to $25.00 per person. Thus, for a four-person family you can legally give a house-warming gift up to $100.00. If you would like to "give more," consider "giving" a home warranty to your buyer/seller. You can legally credit part of your commission at close to the seller or buyer to pay for the home warranty. The one catch, however, is that you must disclose the credit in writing to all parties including the lender. (Avoid offering "referral fees" since in most states, "referral fees" may only be paid to licensed agents/brokers.).
  4. Did you deduct for petty cash items like pens, pencils, keys, note paper, hammer, tape, stamps, etc.? The IRS accepts "cash" write-offs up to $25.00 if you have a receipt or note the cash amount in your appointment book by date and amount.
  5. Are you depreciating your car, computer, printer, and other large items you use in your business? Again, your accountant can give you the schedule for doing so.
  6. Did you deduct car washes/polish (or supplies you use to clean your car yourself)? They really add up over a year's time.
  7. The IRS only allows a 50% deduction for entertainment. Instead of taking clients out to lunch or dinner, hold a client appreciation event (such as a party or open house) and take the deduction under advertising and promotion. You can also do the same thing for broker open houses.
  8. Did you also deduct the expenses for your ISP (AOL, Earthlink, etc.), computer software, as well as any web hosting/design fees you paid?
  9. Did you deduct your auto expenses including gas, insurance, repairs, license fees, smog inspections, etc. based upon the percentage of total business miles you put on your car?
  10. Did you deduct for your open house refreshments you serve each week?
  11. Did you volunteer your time for a charitable organization? Check with your CPA to see if you can take a cash deduction for the time you volunteered.
  12. Did you deduct part of your home phone expense provided you used your home phone for business?
  13. Did you deduct your education expenses including your mileage to and from any educational events?
  14. Did you deduct any design fees you incurred in creating your web site?
  15. Did you deduct the cost of any marketing materials including postcards, brochures, etc. as well as mailing costs?
  16. Did you deduct the cost of your film, your digital camera, or any other costs you incurred in posting pictures to your web site?
  17. Did you deduct for keys, lock boxes, valet parking, meter parking, and other miscellaneous expenses?
  18. Did you record the name, purpose, and date of each entertainment expense on your cash or credit card receipt?

Remember, the key is to keep accurate records by noting the client, the date, and purpose on your receipts. Also, always check with your CPA to verify your deductions meet current IRS guidelines. And, if you didn't keep great records in 2000, today's a great day to begin!

By Bernice Ross, Master Certified Coach and Owner, www.RealEstateCoach.com 
7% of the Agents Conduct 93% of the Business
The Rest Don't Have Coaches! www.RealEstateCoach.com
The Experts in Real Estate Coaching

I hope our weekly Marketing Tips have been helping you with your own marketing efforts.  Here are some comments from some of our valued clients!

Superb!! Thanks a million. It is so easy working w/you! And that is such a rare experience."

Sue Bryant
Katie Cantrell Realty, Inc

 

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Coldwell Banker Sea Coast

 

"Hi Vanessa, Hope you are fine. Thank you so much for your help Advanced Access for designing it! I love my website and I have received a lot of leads, plus a lot of complements about the site!  Thank you again for all your help . I love the email tips too."

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Century 21 Equity

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