TOP STORY: Gain market share during the shift!
Now is the time and Masterminds in the place!
Get off of the fence and into the trenches next week with the best minds in the real estate business. Count on doing a lot more than listening and 
learning, as we launch our new Power Hour lead generation contest for both agents and market center leadership.
At this outcome-focused event, you'll receive the dialogues, scripts and strategies that you need to master this market, as we actually coach you through real calls.
We have a new vision to share and an entirely new approach to drawing upon our collective creativity and powerful connections.
Sign up now! for this all new Masterminds experience!
Up-to-date listings drive referrals
Keeping your contact information, areas of specialization and courses taken updated in the KW White Pages will increase the chance of referrals from Keller Williams associates coming your way.
Do you speak Spanish, specialize in waterfront properties or have a lifelong knowledge of your market? Keeping your KW White Pages listings updated opens that door to Keller Williams' entire North American referral network.
Log on to the KW Intranet and click the "Associate Information" button (As seen in the above image) under the "White Pages" tab.
Rents continue to climb while home prices drop
Now is the time to buy!
According to an April 14 article on Realtytimes.com, "The first quarter of 2008 makes the 24th consecutive quarter that rental prices have escalated nationwide." Click here to read the rest of the article, "Realty Viewpoint: If You Think You're Saving Money Renting...Think Again."
While Your First Home, the first book in the Keller Williams Realty Guide Series, emphasized that, "If you can afford to rent, you can afford to buy," holds true. This point appears truer now than ever before.
Below is a graph showing you how right now is the best time for new buyers to get out of rental properties and enter the housing market.
Interest rates over the last 15 months |
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Get your house hunters into houses while rates are still low |
Looking to get your prospective buyers into a new home? Give them a copy of Your First Home!
Let your buyers know that trying to time the market in the short term is the easiest way to miss the timing for the long term. The benefits for equity buildup, value appreciation and tax benefits will always make it a right decision.
Luxury Homes market remains strong
Upper end undeterred by slump
Luxury Homes by Keller Williams® is an exclusive network of real estate consultants who raise the bar for service in the luxury home market.
In an April 11 REALTOR.org article, Laurie Moore-Moore,founder of the Dallas-based Institute for Luxury Home Marketing noted that in luxury markets, "Demand is remaining strong, and even if [prices] are going down they're not going down as much as the overall market."
The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing is a Keller Williams preferred vendor whose two day class is required within 12 months of joining the Luxury Homes by Keller Williams program.
Membership benefits of the Luxury Homes program include:
- Exclusive signage,
- Elegantly branded marketing pieces,
- Luxury listings on our Website www.kwluxuryhomes.com and access to nationwide referral network of KW Luxury Consultants.
Access information on the Intranet, under the Resources tab > Luxury Homes to learn more about the benefits of membership.
Wear your heart on your sleeve—and everywhere else! 
KW Cares products now for sale
KW Cares is grateful for all of the hard work that you have put in towards supporting your fellow agents in their times of need. Keep up the good work and support KW Cares by buying some KW Cares gear now available online.
Visit www.kwcares.org to order your DVD, t-shirt or umbrella and let the world know that you care! Proceeds benefit KW Cares.
REALTOR® Magazine seeks nominees for its ninth annual Good Neighbor award
It's that time of year again. REALTOR® Magazine is identifying REALTORS® who are going above and beyond to improve their communities.
Eligible activities might include volunteer work involving affordable housing issues, educational programs, youth-related activities, or anything else that makes a community a better place.
Now is the time to let our culture shine!
Click here For more information or to nominate an associate—or even yourself—for this award.
Your niche could mean more business
Learn to leverage a blog
Are you looking for a way to get more traffic on your agent Website?
A blog in which you discuss items of interest in your local market is a great way to introduce yourself to new prospects.
KW's eAgentC offers you a free blog tool!
Sign-up on the "My Information" tab of the KW Intranet!
Not sure what to write about in a blog?
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
- Do you specialize in serving a niche market (for example, first-time home buyers, military, or real estate investors)? If so, think about questions or comments you hear from these clients and write a quick Q&A speaking to your specific communities.
- Make your Q&A feel informative and consultative in nature.
- Share a link—whether to a news article on an issue of concern in your community or a Website that you find interesting. Enhance this by writing a brief explanation about why or how the link is useful, and don’t forget to credit the source.
Click here for information on how to set your blog up.
Spotlight on: College towns: Properties near universities will always be in demand
Mark Waldhoff, an associate at the Champaign (Ill.) market center, is quoted in a recent BusinessWeek.com article, as saying that the high demand for college housing "Brings well-paying jobs into the community and brings a lot of diversity."
Click here to read the entire article and learn where the best educationally-inclined real estate investments are to be found.
Market Center Leadership Corner
Activate your upgraded eAgentC Website!
Between now and April 30, you will have the chance to switch your current market center site to our new, upgraded market center Websites.
Your upgraded Website features new design updates to choose from, fresh content, additional lead capture forms, WolfNet IDX integration (where available) and many more new features that will allow you to customize your site.
In order to provide you with a smooth transition into an upgraded Website, your existing Website will remain active for a time to allow you to able to fully customize your new site.
PLEASE NOTE: If you do not take action before April 30 then we will upgrade your Website for you. At that time a generic, upgraded Website will replace your existing Website and you won't be able to access old assets to import into your new site.
Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade your eAgentC Website.
Email us at mcupgrade@kw.com with questions.
Comments or questions for THIS WEEK @ kw? We want to hear from you!
Contact us at marketing@kw.com.
