May 2006
Newsletter "A mother
is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people,
promptly announces she never did care for pie." -Tenneva Jordan ADVANCED ACCESS’ Fourth
Annual Most Impressive Website Contest Welcome to the ADVANCED ACCESS
4th Annual 2006 Most Impressive Website
Contest – this year, we have some exciting changes in our annual
contest. We have brought in some of the top industry experts as "Judges" and
they will be critiquing and analyzing all of the websites nominated by
YOU. The nomination period
will run through May 19th, 2006, at 12:00 midnight (Pacific
Time). Please submit your nomination into ONE CATEGORY
ONLY (even if you believe your Website is the best in multiple
categories). Nomination
Category Selections: Best
Homepage - Also
known as "curb appeal." When you enter the homepage of this site does it WOW
you, catch your eye in some way, does it appear colorful and well organized, or
is it just plain awesome? Best Lead
Generator - If
your Website is simply a lead generator for you and you know it, select this
option. Please enter some comments that will be displayed on the voting page to
let people know why you think your site is the best. (Give us some numbers; tell
us how you capture your visitors, etc.) If you see a Website that you think is
incredibly effective and does a great job of capturing the users' information,
submit your entry in this category. Best
Company Site – Does your Website represent your
company or firm like no other? This site can showcase the parent company or
firm that carries the bulk of your reputation across the country. Perhaps this
company Website is the reason that you get more traffic than any other, and with
the exposure or publicity that the larger, well-known company generates, take a
moment to review any possibilities that may have come to your attention during
the past year! Best Use
of a Template -
Does the site use one of our standard designs, but looks completely revamped? Is
the color, style or the navigational buttons and header graphics simply
extraordinary? Best Use
of a THEME - In
creating a successful Website, it's important to define WHO your audience is.
When you visit this site, do you find a repetitive theme throughout the pages
within? Do you know this site is geared specifically toward a certain market
segment such as first time homebuyers or boomers? Best Use
of an AA Feature - Does the site find a unique use
for one of the features offered by ADVANCED ACCESS? We consider an AA
feature to be any of the sections in the Virtual Office, including slideshows,
local partners, favorite links, community links, bulletin board, listings,
testimonials, free reports, about page, and more... Most
Original Content - Does the text in this Website
entice you to explore further within its pages? When you view this Website you
might be asking yourself, "Who did they hire as a copy writer?" Most User
Friendly - Do
find this Website to be incredibly well organized, and you know instantly where
you need to go to find what you're looking for? Review the site as a potential
client or consumer, and enter the Website as if you didn’t know the first thing
about real estate or how the process actually worked. This is an effective
method to review and grade your own Website as well! Submit
your nomination in any of the above categories by May 19th, 2006, at
12:00 midnight (Pacific Time). Good luck to all of the
participants, and we look forward to receiving your nominations. ADVANCED ACCESS Expands Management
Team Jeremy Rivera has worked in the
sales/customer service industry for approximately 9-years, and continues to work
for Trinity Church as the Director for a volunteer program that teaches computer
job skills to unemployed people in the Yucaipa/Redlands area. Jeremy is quick on
his feet, and is eager and always ready to face new challenges at a moments
notice, and he has been a valued asset to the ADVANCED ACCESS
family since May '2005. Brett Wood has worked in the
sales/customer service industry for approximately 10-years. Before joining the
ADVANCED ACCESS family, Brett was a self-employed network
technician, servicing some 10-20 clients for over three years. Brett has been a
member of the ADVANCED ACCESS family in August '2005, and
enjoys the friendly atmosphere among staff members. Angela Cortez has served in the
sales/customer service industry for approximately seven-years, and enjoys the”
friendly family” atmosphere here at ADVANCED ACCESS. Her warm
smile, dedication, and support of her team members has made Angela a welcome
part of the ADVANCED ACCESS family since January
'2004. Audrey Seiberling has over 12-years
experience in the Sales/Customer Service industry. She was a member of the
ADVANCED ACCESS extended family beginning in March ‘2004, and
worked in Customer Service for over 10 months. She re-joined ADVANCED
ACCESS in the Customer Service Department after a brief absence, and
later became a welcomed addition as a Website Marketing Specialist in September,
‘2005. Audrey was, and is still one of the most popular and accomplished
Customer Service representatives recognized by her peers. Aron Spegon, Director of Customer Service, stated
“…We are extremely confident in the abilities of those that we have chosen to
accept these extraordinary responsibilities involved in the continued growth of
customer service here at ADVANCED ACCESS.” The Senior Management Team and the entire staff
here at ADVANCED ACCESS congratulate Jeremy, Brett,
Angela and Audrey and wish them continued success in
their new duties, and in increasing our ability to serve YOU
better. A Tale of Two (types of)
Cities Well, the boom is over and most of our nation’s hot
housing markets are cooling. Home sales are off 5 to 20 percent in some markets
that were once setting annual sales records. But there have been no signs of
bubbles bursting as of yet. Real estate activity began slowing about six months
ago, and – perhaps with some fingers and toes crossed – our nation’s housing
industry is managing a soft landing. And quite nicely, thank you. It is true,
some of those “hot hot hot” markets are experiencing more of a cooling down than
are others, but there is also a silver lining to that: some of America’s
non-boom markets are showing signs of life. During the real estate boom’s five-year run (2001 to
2005), about 65 of the 135 metropolitan areas on which the National Association
of REALTORS® tracks price data experienced robust price appreciation. The
households living in – and investors investing in – those 65 boom markets during
those five years enjoyed substantial equity gains on their properties and no
doubt engendered the envy of non-boom homeowners and investors. Indeed, to the
dismay of the remaining 70 metro areas, the boom seemed to discriminate as it
passed over them. But today, the housing coin has flipped – sales are softening
in (former) boom cities and gaining momentum in non-boom cities. It appears the
haves and the have-nots have reversed places. What is driving that reversal of fortune? The answer
is: affordability. Quite simply, affordable metros are in favor and unaffordable
metros are experiencing a correction. Let’s look at both situations. Affordable Metros Another way of viewing a healthy housing market is to
look at the direction of months’ supply of homes available for sale (the housing
inventory). The top ten metros ranked by the largest year- over-year decrease in
months’ supply in February, reveals that nine out of those ten areas are
affordable markets. Led by Austin, Texas, which experienced the largest decrease
(falling from a 5.0-months’ supply in February 2005 to 4.3-months’ supply in
February 2006), the remaining nine metros were Houston, San Antonio,
Raleigh-Cary, Albuquerque, Mobile, Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Kansas City,
Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas and Baton Rouge. Only Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Florida
experienced the real estate boom and has a median home price higher than the
national median home price. Again, all of these metros share the two
characteristics that are attracting future home buyers – a healthy local economy
and a relatively low median home price. I expect these metros as well as other
affordable and healthy metros to exhibit slow- to moderate growth during the
remaining months of this year. Boom Metros A Happy Ending Reprinted from REALTOR® Magazine [May, 2006] with
permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2006. All rights
reserved. Spring/Summer Convention & Trade Show
Schedule Announced Please stop by and say hello to our staff when they
visit your part of the country during any of the upcoming Trade Shows and
Conventions. The following appearances have been scheduled during the next
month: May 17-19, 2006 June 7-8, 2006 June 21, 2006 We are looking forward to seeing you at any of
the events listed above. Be sure to stop by and say hello – we always enjoy
talking to our clients across the country. And, if
you bring a friend or colleague who may be interested in purchasing a website,
we have a special gift for you. ADVANCED
ACCESS Featured Client of the Month Carol Westerman Carol Westerman, (www.itsnotmagic.com) was
born in Champaign, Illinois, attended the University of Illinois majoring in
Education, where her father was a professor in the Engineering Department. Her
ADVANCED ACCESS Website has become one of the better known
sites on the Internet, as unique as her slogan – “It’s not magic, it’s
hard work,” is her Website moniker – a caricature of Carol in a genie
outfit floating on a magic carpet, and being summoned from her bottle! Her
education and early career was in the field of education, and later she earned
her Master’s Degree in Elementary School Education. She is the middle child of three, and has both an
older and younger brother. She moved to California, and has worked in a number
of notable school districts including the Fullerton, Placentia, and Burbank
educational systems. She has also taught extension classes in education at
renowned Pepperdine University. She eventually earned her administrative
credentials from the University of California at Northridge. In 1986 Carol, her husband Stewart and newborn son,
Stuart, then moved to the Santa Clarita Valley, near the Magic Mountain area.
Her husband, who was a successful Broker and investment consultant, was from New
York, and they met in here in California, and later married. Carol has been a
successful REALTOR® since 1990, and it was because of her solid family
“home-life” that she was able to concentrate the 70-90 hours a week that it took
to become even more successful as real estate representative during the
lucrative years that the industry had to offer. In 1999, that spirit would be tested, as her husband
Stewart would pass away after an extended battle with brain cancer. Her spirit
and commitment to her profession unbowed, Carol continued to distinguish herself
and later was awarded the RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her son, Stuart age 19, now attends college at the College of the Canyons,
majoring in engineering physics. HER IMPRESSION AND REFLECTION ON THE REAL
ESTATE INDUSTRY She continues, “…Everyone has the opportunity to be
AS SUCCESSFUL as possible, and so it is crucial to provide them with all the
necessary information that I have at my disposal.” HER OFFICE’S MARKET – THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
AREA AROUND SANTA CLARITA VALLEY Carol and RE/MAX of Valencia,
Inc., the #1 RE/MAX office in the world,
serves the communities and surrounding areas of Santa Clarita Valley including
Valencia, Newhall, Val Verde, Agua Dulce, and Saugus. Brokers John & Alice
O’Hare (who Carol states are “the best Brokers in the world”), have teamed-up
with Carol and worked long and hard hours to earn that honorable
distinction! CAROL WESTERMAN TELLS WHY ADVANCED
ACCESS? She recalls her early introduction to
ADVANCED ACCESS. “…That was in 1999, and I think at that time
my office had someone who was very good in Website design and organization. It
seemed to me that when I looked at some examples of his product, I kept seeing
the same kind of themes and designs. I wanted more variety and when I took a
look at ADVANCED ACCESS, I saw more choices and tailored looks
to “fit” the individual. The Websites that I reviewed and their purpose was so
much clearer and it seemed to me that the Website “fit” the person much better
than some others that I was looking at. The ADVANCED ACCESS
Websites offered more potential for growth, and of course the staff at
ADVANCED ACCESS always was there and able to assist me, by
talking me through the changes and additional things that I wanted to do at any
time.” Carol added, “…I felt so strongly about
ADVANCED ACCESS, that I contacted and wrote e-mails to the
RE/MAX leadership to encourage them to choose ADVANCED ACCESS,
and make them a part of the Approved Vendor Program. I am not a real “teckkie”
or Internet person; I am more of a teacher-person, and really like having my
hands-on experience with my clients. But with ADVANCED ACCESS I
also have a Web presence that serves as a guide to them for real estate
educational purposes. I am able to say, “check this out, check this link,” and
actually supplement what I do and say, with information that helps them
understand and learn what I am actually trying to do throughout the buying or
selling process, and what a real estate transaction entails.” THE FINAL WORD Westerman offered this final bit of insight…”I love
what I do, but I don’t have to have a solid diet of real estate. I have sold
over 900 houses to clients here, and right now, I have an excellent client base
that more than keeps me busy. Currently, I am sitting here in my sales office,
selling eighteen, thirty-four hundred square foot homes. I live on the edge of
the Los Angeles National Forest, and my ADVANCED ACCESS Website
provides me with the tools to educate and inform older long-established clients,
my newer ones, and those who are just “surfing the Internet” for someone to
contact about starting their real estate experience.” “Working with an area builder, I have been
privileged to work with this new community development. ADVANCED
ACCESS certainly provides me the needed flexibility that my business,
at this stage needs! I really do think of my Website as my “guide at my side,”
which helps me educate and make those pieces of information that I have readily
available to real estate consumers – at whatever level they are at that specific
time. Having a partner like ADVANCED ACCESS is making that
journey much more enjoyable, and of course, successful at the very same time!
With my ADVANCED ACCESS Website, I am able to offer real estate
education, and not only accomplish this, but in addition, can have a bit of
levity on my site, that enables visitors to “lighten up a bit,” and enjoy the
fun side of perhaps the most important financial decision that they will make in
their lifetime. For that, I have enjoyed my relationship with ADVANCED
ACCESS the most!” Recognize
Memorial Day with Patriotic Banners and Designs On Memorial Day,
In your Classic Package, you can make the
changes directly through your Virtual Office.
To view our selection of graphics, go to your Virtual Office and click on
Any of our customer support
representatives would be happy to assist you in adding the Memorial Day banners
or website styles to your site. Simply
give us a call TOLL FREE
866-518-1571 or e-mail us at support@advancedaccess.com. ADVANCED ACCESS Sales Team Marketing
Tip I think that one of the problems many agents will
have years from now is one of the same issues that faces them today -- working
with current Internet technology. I work with so many agents that are still
reluctant to embrace the Internet as a tool that can undeniably help their
business. I would say this includes establishing a professional Web presence,
obtaining e-mail contacts, and electronic branding. As the housing market continues to ebb and flow, Real
Estate Professionals will need to sustain a constant, informative, dynamic, and
increased presence on the Internet. The personal Website they build and develop
will need to be updated over time to become an important part of their business.
They will want to continue to grow and utilize the Internet if they are to be
successful in the real estate industry. Current studies by a variety of industry
researchers have indicated that 77% of new potential homeowners or buyers will
rely on the Internet to find their home and real estate agent. It is for this
reason alone that successful and professional real estate agents will need to
continue to find innovative ways to utilize the Internet to their advantage. The
people, who are visiting their site, will need to find it interesting,
informative, and useful in their journey in making one of the most important
financial decisions of their life. Specifically speaking, I think more agents could use
e-mail technology as a communication, marketing and branding tool. I know most
of the agents are using e-mail, but I believe that they can do this much more
effectively. Instituting this powerful marketing medium will decrease their
overall costs to run their business, give them more time and ultimately, put
more commissions in their pockets. Recently, I had an agent ask me if they could
print one of our IntellicardsTM (e-mail marketing postcards) and mail that out to their database. I
understood why the agent asked and it was because they did not have that many
e-mail addresses. I hear this at nearly every office I visit. Gathering e-mails
should start at the beginning of the sales cycle and agents should start to make
this a habit. Once the addresses are saved, communicating with a large audience
becomes less time consuming and is so inexpensive that it nearly eliminates the
need to print or mail anything. The agent is then able to continuously brand
themselves to their past clients thus increasing the opportunity for more
referrals and repeat business. The first step and the hardest step in starting
something is just that, STARTING! ADVANCED ACCESS
provides you with your Website and the IntellicardsTM Lite or IntellicardsTM e-mail marketing solution. You also have
access to our FREE and UNLIMITED seven-day-a-week customer service in order to
help you achieve this confidence and success now and for the future. We would
love to help you continue to integrate technology as an important part of your
marketing and advertising campaign to help further your reputation and business!
So dive in, get started and give us a call! Paul Cox
is a Regional Sales Manager for ADVANCED ACCESS serving the
State of Illinois. He travels extensively making educational and informative
presentations at conventions, Association trade shows, tech expos and office
meetings. His presentations range from 20-minutes to 2-hours, and cover a wide
range of current topics to meet your Internet Marketing needs. To find out more
about Paul Cox, you can visit his Website at www.paulcoxjr.com, or contact
Paul about scheduling a visit at your next office meeting or
perhaps a speaking engagement at your State or local tradeshow and convention.
Send Paul an e-mail pcox@advancedaccess.com, or call him
on his Direct Line at (630) 415-9239. Featured Employee of the Month:
Jeremy Rivera Jeremy is also fascinated by language. He is
semi-conversational in Spanish, Japanese, and German, and is self teaching
himself to be fluent in each. He has also learned a lot of greetings from other
languages such as, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, French, and Russian. Jeremy states,
"my dream would be become fluent in 10 different languages by the time I am
30." With his drive and talent, we have no doubt that he will
succeed. Jeremy is quick on his feet, and is eager and always
ready to face new challenges at a moments notice, and he is a valued asset to
the ADVANCED ACCESS family. Aron Spegon, ADVANCED
ACCESS Director of Customer Service, remarks, "Jeremy's level of
dedication to providing unparalleled service is they type others should envy! He
consistently goes far above and beyond to help our clients." Jeremy says that
he "enjoys the opportunity to take a basic website and transform it to reflect
the client's personality. I also enjoy taking a difficult situation and
resolving the concerns of each client so that they can hang up the phone
happy." Here's what some of our valued clients have said
about Jeremy: "you have been absolutely amazing to work with!! I
really appreciate how quickly you respond; your follow through; and your
helpful, kind attitude." - Nancy Beck "He was patient and explained things in a manner
that was easy to understand. He spent the time that I needed, not making me feel
rushed or not knowledgeable. He was pleasant, educated and willing to help."
- Sherry Lane "He made my whole day with his friendliness and
willingness to help me." - Marlin Milligan On the Lighter
Side My 50-something friend Nancy and I decided
to introduce her mother to the magic of the Internet. Our first move was to
access the popular "Ask Jeeves" site, and we told her it could answer any
question she had. Nancy's mother was very skeptical until Nancy said, "It's
true, Mom. Think of something to ask it." As I sat with fingers poised over the
keyboard, Nancy's mother thought a minute, then responded, "How is Aunt Helen
feeling?"
April 2006
| Back to Main Page | June
2006
Home | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Statement | Terms of Service and Use |
Advertising User Agreement
Last
Year's Most Impressive Website Winner - Cheryl
Bray
If you are American Idol fans rooting along with one of the current
finalists, you will be thrilled join in the spirit of competition and send in a
nomination of your personal ADVANCED ACCESS website, or any other ADVANCED
ACCESS site that you admire, to be critiqued by our 'Celebrity Judges". Once
our highest judge scored sites are selected in each category, we will unleash
the voting to you, our valued clients. "America will have voted" and we will
"dim the lights" and announce who will be the next 'Website Idol' in ADVANCED
ACCESS' Most Impressive Website Contest. Of course, no 'Idol' contest would
be complete without the comments, critiques, and wisdom from the "Celebrity
Judges" - Maria Patterson, Executive Editor - RISMedia's Real Estate
magazine, Allen F. Hainge, President - The Allen F. Hainge
CyberStars®, Chad Golladay, President & Editor in Chief -
Broker Agent News,
Terry Light, HomeSurfer and RealEstateABC, and Terry Watson, International
Speaker..
The ADVANCED ACCESS Senior Management
Team has proudly announced the promotions of four distinguished
individuals to new positions and duties within our company ranks. Jeremy
Rivera and Brett Wood, both former
Customer Support Representatives have been promoted to
Customer Support Supervisors; while former
New Account Specialist, Angela
Cortez has been promoted to New Accounts Specialist
Manager, and former Website Marketing Specialist,
Audrey Seiberling has been promoted to Website Marketing Specialist
Manager.
by David Lereah, NAR Chief
Economist
The recent real
estate boom seemed to have bypassed Denver, Salt Lake City, Houston, and
Albuquerque, New Mexico; now those markets are raising some eyebrows. In recent
months, they have shown a pick up in sales activity. What all four of these
metros have in common is a healthy local economy (evident in their job creation
figures) and affordable housing prices. It is becoming increasingly clear that
in the aftermath of the boom, households are now seeking affordable property to
purchase (and live in). For example, there are cases where households living in
pricey northern California neighborhoods (such as San Francisco) are moving from
an area where the median home price is a lofty $730,000 to areas with
substantially lower median home prices. Denver and Salt Lake City – as well as
some still-hot markets like Las Vegas and Phoenix – could be the fortunate
recipients of that trend.
Phoenix, Naples,
Florida, and Washington, DC all experienced the boom during the past five years,
but are now showing strong signs of cooling. What they all have in common are a
history of robust price appreciation and a healthy local economy. Ranking the
top ten metros by the largest increase in months’ supply (which is a sign of a
“cooling” market) in February reveals that all ten metros were boom metros. From
first to tenth are Phoenix, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Florida, Pensacola, Florida,
Chicago-Naperville, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Tucson, Orlando, Boston, Washington
DC, and Worcester, Massachusetts. Phoenix experienced the greatest increase,
where its months’ supply rose from 1.2 months in February 2005 to 5.6 months in
February 2006. Sales in all of these metros have also fallen within the past 6
months.
The good news is
that affordable metros are beginning to expand while boom metros are cooling
into a soft landing. There have been no bubbles bursting, as predicted by so
many academics and Wall Street analysts during the past several years. The last
time a bubble burst was in Boston in 1990/91.What happened in Boston? It
experienced a negative local economic event – a sharp recession. During that
time, Boston lost 15 percent of its labor force and the months’ supply of homes
climbed up to a remarkable 16 months! Something had to give so prices tumbled
downward for the next four years. The difference between Boston’s experience and
today’s cooling metros is the health of the local economy. Boston’s economy
experienced a contraction, while our boom markets all possess healthy, expanding
economies. With job creation and income growth, households will continue to have
the wherewithal to purchase property even in cooling local markets. That is a
perfect recipe for a soft landing.
National Association of
REALTORS®
2006 Midyear Trade Expo
Marriott Wardman Park
Hotel
Washington, DC
California Association of
REALTORS®
California REALTOR® Showcase
Sacramento Convention
Center
Sacramento, CA
WCR Chicago Chapter 2006
Vendor Expo
Marcello's
Chicago, IL
HISTORY & HER START IN THE
INDUSTRY
Carol offered her insight into the current status of the
real estate industry and its effect on the role of modern-day REALTORS®. “…The
industry has definitely had its ups and down, and until recently, we all have
had a pretty good ride. It seems that now, more moderate prices are leveling the
playing field, and more and more we are seeing actual prices symbolic of the
wagers that new buyers are actually achieving. While at the same time we
anticipate some leveling off of prices, I am very hopeful that we do not see a
repeat of the nineties with numerous foreclosures and such.”
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a
day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our nation.
Shown above are a few of the many beautiful and
patriotic banners available in our graphic library to commemorate the
holiday. In addition to the graphic
banners, you can choose between two Classic Package design styles
(examples below) to devote the home page of your website to this holiday of
remembrance.
“The
Importance of Embracing Internet
Technology”
by Paul Cox, Regional Sales Manager
Jeremy began his career at ADVANCED ACCESS as a
member of our Customer Service Department, and was recently promoted to the
position of Customer Service Supervisor. Prior to joining the ADVANCED
ACCESS team, Mr. Rivera held some interesting jobs. He once worked at
Riley's Log Cabin (an apple orchard) as a tour guide. His position as a tour
guide included archery, and throwing knives and tomahawks. Jeremy also paid his
way through college and plans on completing his degree in Computer Science
soon.
Growing up in Yucaipa, California gave Jeremy the opportunity to
enjoy the wide open spaces near San Bernardino with his family. Taking
advantage of the wilderness, his father even had a teepee in the yard, and a
fair amount of horses. Jeremy also grew up with his older brother, Jared, and
his older sister, Keturah.
In his spare time, Jeremy teaches a basic
computer skills class at Trinity Church in Calimesa for the unemployed. He also
enjoys spending time with his lovely fiancée, Jessica - also a talented member
of the ADVANCED ACCESS team. He says that Jessica is "his
penguin" because penguins mate for life. He and Jessica love watching various
comedy television series on DVD, especially The Muppet Show, The Simpsons, and
The Family Guy. You will often find Jeremy engrossed in a good video game, or
eating his favorite food, Sushi.
From Reader’s Digest “Joke
Central - Virtual Hilarity”
— Joke contributed by Catherine Burns
Copyright © 2007 Dominion Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.
